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发帖数: 1034 | 1 http://gamerboom.com/archives/83454
1）SuperData发布的3月份数字游戏市场报告显示，《Candy Crush》发展有所减缓，而
“硬核游戏”则出现上升趋势。
硬核游戏的发展主要得益于PC和主机平台的《Titanfall》或《Heroes of the Storm》
这种类型的游戏，但暴雪推出的《Hearthstone》同样表现瞩目（它在4月16日刚刚在
App Store发布）。
hearthstone(from pocketgamer)
hearthstone(from pocketgamer)
这款暴雪战略CCG游戏于3月中旬在PC和Mac平台问世，ARPPU约27美元。
而King热作《Candy Crush Saga》尽管同比上月的用户整体投入有所增长（1.2%），但
其月活跃用户似乎出现了饱和，其移动平台的月活跃用户增长仅0.3%，而社交游戏玩家
则下降了2.1%。但该游戏仍然是3月份移动平台排名第二的热门手机游戏，仅次于《
Clash of Clans》。
SuperData还指出整体数字游戏市场仍在持续发展，2014年3月销售额达9.36亿美元，同
比上年增长9%。
2）《华尔街日报》日前报道预言，苹果和谷歌将以类似微软和索尼在主机领域施加影
响力的方式，迫使主流游戏公司首先为移动设备开发游戏。
Tim Cook(from gamezebo)
Tim Cook(from gamezebo)
苹果设备受盗版影响相对较小，而付费游戏也更可能在苹果平台获得成功，但Android
设备安装量不容小觑，开发者若无法确定该首先面向哪个平台制作游戏，择其一而行似
乎是一个更容易的决策。
3）据venturebeat报道，微软日前宣布将于4月25日正式完成对诺基亚设备及服务项目
的收购交易（价值72亿美元），诺基亚手机部门将正式成为微软的一部分。
microsoft_and_nokia(from nokiainnovation.com)
microsoft_and_nokia(from nokiainnovation.com)
据知情者透露，被微软收购之后的诺基亚部门将被命名为微软移动。微软法务总顾问兼
执行副总裁Brad Smith表示，微软/诺基亚交易条款已不同于之前刚宣布这一消息之时
，微软明年将管理Nokia.com域名及其社交网站，并将雇佣诺基亚在中国首席技术办事
处的21名开发手机设备的员工，微软将不再收购诺基亚韩国工厂。
47）据gamasutra报道，中国政府在今年1月份解除了长达13年的电子游戏主机禁令，并
于日前公布了相关政策，允许在中国出售主机。但目前索尼、任天堂、微软这三大主机
游戏制造巨头均尚未宣布在中国发布产品的计划。
中国公司正计划采取行动，目前中兴和TCL已宣布在今年推出两款不同的主机。
5）据venturebeat报道，《最后的幸存者》美术总监Nate Wells本月初离开Nauthty
Dog工作室，加入独立工作室Giant Sparrow（代表作为《The Unfinished Swan》）。
the last of us(from fansided.com)
the last of us(from fansided.com)
Giant Sparrow目前正面向索尼主机开发新游戏，Well很可能监管新游戏的视觉设计工
作。
Nate Wells于2012年8月加入Naughty Dog，大部分时间负责领导《最后的幸存者》美术
部门。在此之前，他曾在《生化奇兵》工作室Irrational Games任职13年，参与推出了
《System Shock 2》、《SWAT 4》等游戏。
6）据serkantoto报道，GREE日前宣布已于今年2月在东京成立新工作室Wright Flyer
Studios。
该工作室由GREE高管Eiji Araki领导，已经宣布推出两款新游戏，这两者均以本地智能
手机应用的形式发布。首款游戏是《Shoumetsu Toshi》（City of Annihilation），
混合了横向卷轴动作以及RPG等元素。第二款游戏是《Ten To Daichi Megami No Mahou
》(Magic Of The Goddess Of Heaven And Earth)，含有多人模式、即时战略模拟元素
。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系
：游戏邦）
1）Candy Crush ‘tops out’ as the industry once again focuses on core
gamers
By Matthew Diener
SuperData’s March 2014 digital games market update shows slowing growth for
Candy Crush and a rising focus on ‘core’ gamers from the industry.
Yet, as the old truism goes, correlation does not imply causation.
The focus on the core gamer in the digital market comes largely from PC and
console titles like Titanfall or Heroes of the Storm, but SuperData also
included Blizzard’s Hearthstone in this list – which is interesting as it
just snuck onto the App Store for iPad on 16 April.
Hearthsone, Blizzard’s strategic CCG, launched for PC and Mac in mid-March
and has since generated an ARPPU of about $27 according to SuperData’s
findings. Whether or not it can match that figure with its iPad release
remains to be seen.
Sour candy
SuperData’s findings also suggest that King’s cash cow, Candy Crush Saga,
has topped out despite seeing a modest (1.2 percent) improvement in overall
spending month-over-month.
Its monthly active users, however, show “signs of saturation” with
marginal growth (0.3 percent) reported for mobile while social players
declined by 2.1 percent.
Despite this less-than-stellar figures, Candy Crush still ranked as
SuperData’s #2 mobile game for March – falling in line behind Clash of
Clans.
SuperData also pointed out that, overall, the digital games market continues
to grow, reaching $936 million in sales in March 2014, up 9 percent year-
over-year.（source：pocketgamer）
2）Mobile exclusives are the next big thing, says WSJ
By Jim Squires
When he’s right, he’s right. Back in January, Gamezebo founder Joel Brodie
made a bold prediction: Apple and Google would start pushing companies for
exclusives on mobile games, in the same way that Microsoft and Sony do in
the console space. This weekend, the Wall Street Journal released a feature
that suggests Joel’s assumption is now well underway.
“The two Silicon Valley giants have been wooing game developers to ensure
that top-tier game titles arrive first on devices powered by their
respective operating system,” WSJ reports, citing sources close to the
situation.
When you have only two big players, though, I suppose a situation like this
is an inevitability. Especially when both seem equally matched in appeal for
developers. Apple might be less effected by piracy, and developers may see
more success with paid games as a result, but the install base of Android
dwarfs what Apple is doing on a global scale. If you’re not sure who to
develop for first, being courted by either Google or Apple for an exclusive
might make that decision a whole lot easier.
“When people love a game, and it’s not available on an alternate platform,
they’ll change platforms,” Kogregate’s Emily Greer told WSJ. “The level
of attachment a person has to a game can exceed almost anything.”
If Greer is right, there are two elements at play that makes exclusives even
more important on mobile than consoles: the nature of ownership and product
life cycle. With a new Xbox or PlayStation only happening every 5-7 years,
the worst Sony has to worry about is someone buying an Xbox as well,
becoming a two console household in the process. With new phones coming out
on a yearly cycle and people typically owning just one such device, Apple
has to worry about losing a long-term customer.（source：gamezebo）
3）Microsoft’s Nokia deal to close on April 25 — new division may be
called Microsoft Mobile
Devindra Hardawar
Nokia’s phone division will officially be part of Microsoft by the end of
the week.
Over six months since the deal was initially announced, Microsoft said today
that its $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services business
will close on Friday, April 25.
While Microsoft hasn’t stated officially what it will call its new unit, a
leaked memo unearthed by Nokia Power User this weekend points to an obvious
moniker: Microsoft Mobile. That doesn’t quite have the hip ring of “Xbox,
” but it brings to mind the old “Windows Mobile” brand from a decade ago.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel and executive vice president of
legal affairs, notes that the final terms of the Microsoft/Nokia deal have
changed since it was first announced. Microsoft will now manage the Nokia.
com domain and social sites for the next year; it’s hiring 21 employees who
were developing mobile phones at Nokia’s Chief Technology Office in China;
and Microsoft is no longer acquiring Nokia’s Korean factory.
The real question now is if owning Nokia will actually help Microsoft
solidify its mobile presence. Windows Phone has taken a while to mature over
the past few years, while iOS and Android have evolved tremendously in the
same time. And even though Nokia has steadily crafted the best Windows Phone
devices over the past few years, it’s been limited by the platform’s slow
growth.（source：venturebeat）
4）Game consoles are go in China, as government sets regulations
By Christian Nutt
In January, the Chinese government lifted its 13-year ban on video game
consoles — pending the drafting of rules that companies will have to follow
to sell them in the country. As of today, those rules have been released.
Kotaku’s Eric Jou reports that consoles can now be sold in the country,
citing a detailed People’s Daily story (Chinese language) on the new
guidelines.
What’s not quite clear yet is what will happen next, as none of the big
three console manufacturers — Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft — have
announced plans to release products in China.
That hasn’t stopped the news from affecting Nintendo’s stock price,
however. Microsoft has entered into an Xbox-related joint venture, however,
though its plans are yet unannounced. Sony has also formed a new “China
Strategy Department” with an eye to selling products in the country.
Chinese companies are also planning to get in on the action, with two
different consoles announced this year so far, by Chinese manufacturers ZTE
and TCL. （source：gamasutra）
5）The Last of Us artist Nate Wells departs Naughty Dog to join indie team
Jeffrey Grubb
The man responsible for the postapocalyptic visuals in The Last of Us is
giving up the bad dog for a big bird.
Nate Wells, who previously worked as the art director on the PlayStation 3
survival hit The Last of Us, left developer Naughty Dog earlier this month.
He is now working at indie studio Giant Sparrow. That company is best known
for producing The Unfinished Swan, which is a 2012 abstract puzzler for the
PlayStation 3 and Vita that has players throwing globs of black paint onto a
pure white world to reveal the terrain. Giant Sparrow is currently working
on a new game for Sony consoles, and Wells will likely oversee the visual
design for the upcoming release.
The art director revealed his new gig on Twitter:
Hmmm….seem to be some threads here. Yes, I joined the wild, wacky, and
ultimately brilliant folks at #GiantSparrow on April 3rd.— Nate Wells (@
PrettyLarceny) April 21, 2014
This job comes after Wells spent two years with Naughty Dog. He joined that
team in August 2012 and spent the bulk of his time at the company leading
the art division on The Last of Us.
Before that, the developer spent 13 years at BioShock studio Irrational
Games. He worked on releases like System Shock 2, SWAT 4, and Tribes:
Vengeance with that Boston-based company.
As a followup to The Unfinished Swan, Giant Sparrow is making a game it is
calling Edith Finch. Wells is likely already working on that.
“It’s not a sequel to The Unfinished Swan, but it’s not a million miles
away either,” a studio blog from March 2013 reads. “If you like surreal
experiences and games that aren’t much like anything you’ve ever played
before then you’ll probably like [Edith Finch].”
Giant Sparrow has a three-game agreement with Sony, so it will still need to
produce one more product for PlayStation consoles once it releases Finch.
As for Naughty Dog, Wells’s departure marks the latest in a number of big-
name departures from the studio. In March, Uncharted 4 director Justin
Richmond left to join League of Legends developer Riot Games. Earlier that
month, Uncharted writer and creative director Amy Hennig moved on from
Naughty Dog. She eventually ended up at Dead Space developer Visceral Games
where she will oversee a new Star Wars project.（source：venturebeat）
6）Wright Flyer Studios: GREE Sets Up New Studio, Teases Two Games
by Serkan Toto
GREE (3632) yesterday announced the launch of a new studio called “Wright
Flyer Studios”, a separate company that was incorporated in Tokyo in
February . (Wright Flyer is the name of the world’s first powered aircraft.)
The studio is headed by GREE executive Eiji Araki, a member of the core team
during GREE’s move to the US a few years ago. Araki is also known as the
mastermind behind pet-breeding game Clinoppe (one of his company’s earliest
hits), among other things.
Even though Wright Flyer is registered in the same building in Tokyo as GREE
, the move is unusual, as most of the game development in Japan so far took
place inside GREE proper (with very few exceptions like the Pokelabo-made
titles).
As a side note, Mobage operator DeNA (2432) works in the same way, while
CyberAgent (4751) is known for its tendency to disintegrate game development
and let studios compete with each other as separated entities.
Like DeNA, GREE, which has spent the last months restructuring the company,
is in desperate need of a hit on smartphones – and this is exactly what
Wright Flyer seems to be after.
The studio has already announced two new games, both of which will be
released in the form of native smartphone apps.
The first game is called “Shoumetsu Toshi” (roughly: “City Of
Annihilation”) and is being described as a mix between side-scrolling
action, drama, and RPG that takes place in present-day Japan.
Wright Flyer already accepts pre-registrations on the game’s website.
Here is the teaser trailer (showing gameplay):
The second game is called “Ten To Daichi Megami No Mahou” (roughly: “
Magic Of The Goddess Of Heaven And Earth”), a multi-player, real-time
strategy simulation.
Wright Flyer says that up to 4 users can cooperate inside the game at the
same time. For this title, too, the studio is already accepting pre-
registrations.（source：serkantoto） |
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