In this era when mobile games are popular all over the world, a popular game actually announced that it would stop updating in some channels, which undoubtedly shocked and disappointed the majority of players. However, when we deeply analyzed Tencent's decision to stop updating Dungeons & Warriors: Origins (DNF mobile game) on channels such as Huawei and Xiaomi, we found some hidden pains and dilemmas in the development of the industry.
The contract expires, and the break is coming
"When the contract expires, it will be terminated to update the game in some channels." Such a notice may be a simple decision, but for companies such as Tencent, Huawei, and Xiaomi, it is the end of a partnership. This end often means that the two sides will encounter many obstacles on the road to cooperation in the future.
In fact, in order to gain a wider user base, game companies like Tencent must reach an agreement with mobile phone manufacturers to embed games into the mobile phone manufacturers' app stores. This partnership model was once seen as a win-win situation, with mobile phone manufacturers attracting more users and gaming companies getting more downloads and contributing revenue. However, as time goes on, this "exploitative" model of cooperation exposes more and more contradictions.
For Tencent, embedding popular games into the mobile app store is undoubtedly a need to improve the user experience, but it also has to pay a high royalty for this, and sometimes even have to bear the cost of traffic resources. Once the contract expires, the game will not be able to continue to be updated on these channels unless Tencent is willing to re-enter into a more onerous agreement.
As for mobile phone manufacturers, they are also constantly seeking dominance. In the battle for user traffic entrances, companies with the ambition of "mobile phone manufacturers as service providers" naturally do not want to completely give up control of high-quality content. Once it is difficult for both parties to reach an agreement on issues such as sharing and resources, a breakup is inevitable.
The app ecosystem is diversifying
The DNF mobile game is hotly debated in large part because the game still has a large user base. When a popular game stops updating in mainstream channels, it will have a huge impact on the gaming experience. However, we can't ignore the changing trend of the Apps ecosystem reflected by this incident.
The traditional mobile app store model is difficult to meet the needs of current diversified users. App developers want more autonomy in earning revenue, and end phone users want the freedom to choose how they want to get their apps. Under this general trend, it has become a norm for popular apps to be released through official channels.
Even Tencent said in response to the incident that players will be able to access the latest version of DNF mobile games through the game center and official website. This undoubtedly sends a clear signal that game manufacturers are increasingly inclined to rely on their own ecological channels to operate their products, rather than completely immersing themselves in the survival environment of third-party app stores.
In the future, the distribution model of games and apps will develop in the direction of diversification and openness. Traditional mobile phone manufacturers will have to give up absolute control over the user portal and open up the right of choice to users. At the same time, technology companies with their own ecosystems, such as Tencent, NetEase, Xiaomi, etc., may occupy a more advantageous position in the battle for content distribution channels.
There is still a long way to go in the protection of intellectual property rights
It is undeniable that intellectual property protection also plays an important role in this incident. It is precisely on the basis of contractual constraints that Tencent mobile games can obtain a certain degree of intellectual property protection within the agreed period. However, once the contractual relationship is terminated, the old protective barrier will no longer exist.
In this case, it is very likely that popular games will be stolen and illegally distributed by criminals. Game companies have no way to defend their rights, and the user experience will be greatly reduced. It is foreseeable that in the future, game developers will have to take more active and effective protection measures at the legal and technical levels in order to defend their intellectual property rights.
As far as the legal aspect is concerned, there are still many gaps and loopholes in the field of intellectual property protection, and there is an urgent need for further improvement and refinement of the regulations. At the technical level, game developers will also increase their efforts to prevent pirates from snooping and attacking through a variety of sophisticated methods such as encryption and anti-assembly.
Overall, the single incident mentioned above seems to be just an ordinary "channel change" in the mobile game market on the surface, but in fact, it is like a mirror, reflecting the hidden obstacles in the development of the mobile game industry. These obstacles are not only due to the changing market environment, but also from the competition and challenges within the industry. At the same time of rapid development, the mobile game industry is also facing problems such as insufficient intellectual property protection and single distribution channels.
However, just as there are two sides to everything, challenges and opportunities often coexist. For the mobile game industry, although these obstacles have brought certain troubles and pressures, they also provide opportunities for the industry to transform and upgrade, innovate and develop. With the increasing attention to intellectual property protection, the industry will pay more attention to the cultivation of innovation ability and originality, so as to promote the development of the entire industry in a higher quality and more sustainable direction.
At the same time, with the increasing maturity of diversified distribution channels, the mobile game industry will also usher in a broader space for development. In addition to traditional app store channels, emerging channels such as social media and short video platforms also provide more possibilities for the promotion and distribution of mobile games. This will help lower the market entry threshold of the industry, attract more excellent game works and developers to enter the market, and further enrich the product supply and consumer choice in the mobile game market.
Therefore, we firmly believe that under the general trend of increasingly strengthened intellectual property protection and increasingly mature diversified distribution channels, the mobile game industry will usher in new development opportunities and regain vitality. Those companies that can keep up with the trend of the times and actively embrace change will also stand out in the fierce market competition and become the leaders in the industry.