(Economic Observation) Why can Chinese games conquer overseas markets?
China News Agency, Shanghai, January 28 (Reporter Lu Lu) became the e-sports medal item of the Southeast Asian Games, has been downloaded more than 1 billion times worldwide, and has long been at the forefront of the best-selling games in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines... The mobile game "Endless Duel" (Mobile Legends: BangBang, "MLBB" for short) is showing a boom in the Southeast Asian game market.
Like "MLBB", there are not a few Chinese games that have made a splash in overseas markets.
From the overseas version of "Arena Of Valor" ("AOV"), to Miha's "Original God" and Lilith's "Sword and Expedition", Chinese games have opened their borders overseas. Expand the soil".
"MLBB" is the second game launched by Shanghai Mutong Technology Co., Ltd. in overseas markets.
At the beginning of its establishment, Mutong took into account that the Chinese game market has become saturated, so it went directly to the sea.
Although avoiding the Red Sea competition in the domestic game market, Yuan Jing, co-founder and CEO of Shanghai Mutong Technology Co., Ltd., admitted to a reporter from China News Agency that “it is actually more difficult to do in overseas markets.”
The network infrastructure in various parts of Southeast Asia is not perfect, and mobile communication fees are relatively expensive; some developing countries are relatively backward with mobile phones and have less network traffic; different languages, servers, and matching teammates and opponent types in various countries are all to be solved problem.
Yuan Jing pointed out that the reason for the success of "MLBB" overseas is that it has been tailor-made for each country. "A good game should not only have good ideas. If it can actively solve the pain points of users, players will naturally The product has a strong sense of dependence."
Compared with "MLBB", which was developed overseas at the beginning, "AOV" and "Yuanshen" are "flowers in both places" in China and overseas markets.
Sensor Tower store intelligence data show that in December 2020, Tencent’s "Glory of the King" earned US$258 million in the global App Store and Google Play, an increase of 58% from December 2019, ranking first in the global mobile game bestseller list.
"King of Glory" was released in 2015, and its overseas version "AOV" was launched overseas in October 2016. In an interview with a reporter from China News Agency, Yang Lu, the head of "AOV" operations, said: "As of now, "AOV" has been completed With a global layout, it has logged in 149 countries and regions around the world, and has more than 200 million registered players worldwide. It is Tencent’s first "going overseas" product with more than 15 million daily active users.
Although "King of Glory" has delivered a dazzling report card in the Chinese market, Yang Lu pointed out, "During the process of'going out to sea', we still maintain an empty cup mentality, so that we can integrate and understand more overseas markets down-to-earth. "
Yang Lu said: "The success of "AOV" is due to the selection of the right category and a relatively good accumulation in this category. In the era of mobile games, the MOBA (multiplayer online tactical game) category has performed well globally. This has laid a good user base for the success of "AOV" in overseas markets.
In addition, considering the differences in game habits and aesthetics between China and overseas markets, Yang Lu pointed out: "From "Glory of the King" to "AOV", many adjustments and changes have been made in the product, whether it is the rhythm of the product or the art style. And performance. In this process, we went to different countries and regions to conduct visits and research to understand their habits and preferences."
In the Sensor Tower store intelligence data, another top-ranking mobile game bestseller in the world is the Chinese game Mihayou "Yuan Shen".
"Yuan Shen" is simultaneously issued in more than 150 countries and regions around the world, and is also available in 13 languages including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Russian. It has won many industry awards worldwide, including Apple App Store 2020 iPhone Global Game of the Year, Google Google Play 2020 Global Game of the Year, Tokyo Game Show 2020 TGS Media Awards, etc.
Regarding the success of "Original God" in overseas markets, Liu Wei, the president of Mihayou, believes that it is the culturally rich scenes, plots, and music that give this IP profound cultural heritage and aesthetic value.
During the game design process, Mihayou consciously enhanced its cultural attributes.
For example, inspired by domestic 5A-level scenic spots such as Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Huanglong, combined with the characteristics of Su-style gardens and Huizhou architecture, design game scenes; and add traditional Chinese cultural elements such as Spring Festival and Lantern Festival to the plot.
Relying on pan-entertainment and game products to carry out cultural exports has now become a research topic for many Chinese game companies.
In "MLBB", Mu Tong also implanted many traditional Chinese cultural factors, such as panda, Peking opera and the three-nation Zilong skin.
Yuan Jing believes, "As a work of art, games have a more profound and long-lasting cultural dissemination ability. In the past, Western games entered China, which made many Chinese players interested in and understanding Western myths and fantasy culture. , Chinese games can also take on the mission of cultural dissemination, allowing more overseas players to understand and be familiar with China’s excellent culture.