There is no doubt that this year's summer file has become the most volatile battle in the past two years. However, despite the fierce fighting, the situation on the battlefield this year is different from that of previous years. Compared with last year, a large number of products were all concentrated in the second dimension and a few other narrow tracks involuted each other, and finally made most of the products dead, this year's fierce battle presents a situation of catching and fighting in the market segment.
Typical cases such as the DNF mobile game launched in late May silently dominated the list for 27 days, and the turnover is expected to exceed 5 billion in the first month. But in the whole gaming circle, it is like being in a state of invisibility, not competing with new games for traffic. This is because DNF serves its own target group, which does not have much overlap with the current new product market.
The game matrix provides a brief summary of the key products launched in recent months, some of which have been officially scheduled, and some of which are estimated to be launched from channels such as iOS appointment dates. From the list, it can be found that this summer file, everyone is no longer crowded on the same track and crazy involution, and there are more products like DNF that focus on their respective user groups.
Such a change not only broadens the coverage of the product, reduces the ineffective involution, but also gives players more choices. With the continuous segmentation of the market, the new competition will no longer only test the quality of the product, but also test the development and operation team's understanding of the target user group. The market success or failure of these new products can also let everyone see how much consumption potential some subdivisions have, and how many manufacturers and products can be "raised".
Action Game Wars: No one will be convinced
The biggest competition in this summer file undoubtedly comes from the action game track. Game Science's "Black Myth: Wukong", NetEase's "Sixteen Voices of Yanyun", and miHoYo's "Jeopardy Zero" do not have a fuel-efficient lamp. If you add "Singing Tide", which will be in open beta on May 23, and "Naraka: Bladepoint", which has just been scheduled for public beta on July 25, it will be even more lively.
Among the several games, the first is "Black Myth: Wukong", which is scheduled to be launched on August 20. It chooses to buy out the stand-alone machine as the sales model, which alone determines its unique status. The buyout system allows the production team to get rid of the constraints of commercialization and focus all their energy on character and gameplay design, giving players a pure game experience without interruption.
If it can become "the first action game for young people", it can also bring more users to action online games. In essence, stand-alone and online games are not competitive but complementary.
From an industry perspective, the emergence of "Black Myth" is also exciting. Stand-alone games can let more people see how "unfree" online games are, and how much the business model will restrict game expression. If "Black Myth" sells well, it proves that the domestic single-player consumption power has been significantly improved, and it is possible that more companies will dare to set up projects to make stand-alone games.
Of course, if action online games want to catch the traffic of this wave of new users, they must also play hard enough. Among them, NetEase's "Sixteen Voices of Yanyun" and "Naraka: Bladepoint" mobile games are both seed players.
"Sixteen Voices of Yanyun" has been scheduled for July 26, and the final round of Zhong Lu testing will be conducted throughout June. Through this test, many players have a more comprehensive understanding of the game. The positioning of the game is very clear: it is an open-world action game. However, it's more appropriate to say that it's not so much an action online game as an action single-player game with networking capabilities. This is because the game itself offers a lot of local content, which is enough for players to spend a lot of time.
In addition to the rich open world, the game's action system is also unambiguous. In order to ensure a hardcore experience, the game also weakens the Xianxia elements in the martial arts tradition to strengthen the sense of blow. After all, the Xianxia element sometimes affects the sense of substitution, and it also affects the design focus of the action system, and the game must make trade-offs.
Compared with "Yanyun", "Naraka: Bladepoint" mobile game, as a ported game with a PC side in front, takes a different path. That is to lower the learning threshold of the game, focus on improving the fun of PVP games, so that more players can participate, and then sell skins and other appearances as a means of monetization.
Also as an action online game, this game is mainly aimed at players who have social needs and like to gamble. It is differentiated enough from action games that focus on the single-player experience, and it does not cause user competition with each other, but rather complements each other.
Judging from NetEase's actions this summer, it is obviously not satisfied with the success of a mobile game "Against the Cold", but wants to expand this big DAU product idea to more game types. This year, NetEase chose the national style martial arts theme as the breakthrough point, not only because it is familiar enough with this theme, but also because this theme has enough user base and greater room for error, which is a stable choice.
In contrast, miHoYo's Jeopardy Zero, although it is also an action game, has chosen a completely different direction in terms of subject matter and art style, and will hardly compete directly with the above games. In direct competition with "Jeopardy Zero" is actually "Singing Tide". Probably this is one of the reasons why "Singing Tide" gave up the summer file and wanted to be launched in May. Even so, the 1.1 version of "Singing Tide" on June 28 still can't escape the head-to-head competition of "Jeopardy Zero". And the crack of product competition in the same niche is much greater than the competition of different tracks.
However, many players do not pay attention to "Jeopardy Zero" not to compare with its competitors, but to see if it can surpass its two predecessors. Judging from the interviews before the launch, "Jeopardy Zero" has made many newcomer-friendly designs, such as distinguishing difficulty, process control, reducing complex moves, etc., but the core of the action game will still pick users. This attribute of picking users will determine the word-of-mouth trend after the game is launched, and will also determine the final user scale of the game.
From miHoYo's point of view, the launch of Jeopardy Zero is not purely driven by love, but from the company's strategy. After the explosion of "Genshin Impact" and "Crashing Iron" one after another, miHoYo must find new products that are differentiated enough in terms of genre gameplay, so as not to fall into the situation of cannibalism in its own products. In the end, "Jeopardy Zero" became the first of many new projects to run. miHoYo's next project, Xingbu Valley, aims at the simulation business category, showing its ambition to occupy a track with a single game.
Although it is said that "there is no first, there is no second", but this summer's action games are really difficult to decide who is first. Blockbuster products are so concentrated, but different products choose different themes, face different audiences, take differentiated routes, and serve specific target groups.
There is no doubt that many players will usher in their "first time" this summer, some are trying to move single-player for the first time, some are trying action two-dimensional for the first time, some are trying action open world for the first time, and some are trying action competition for the first time...... Manufacturers are not grabbing meat to eat in the same pot, but users who eat each other, and have the opportunity to add meat to each other's bowls. Chinese games have never fought such a rich battle, and as a Chinese gamer, I really want to say "see you for a long time" this year.
Palu Game Wars: Who's Your Treasure?
Another hot spot this summer is undoubtedly "Palu-like". Since "Phantom Beast Palu" became popular all over the world this year, whether it is Tencent, NetEase or various small and medium-sized teams, they have been gearing up to compete on this track.
Before the summer, there were already manufacturers testing the waters of Palu-like mobile games overseas: such as Amikin Survival: Anime, Tamamon World and other products. More big manufacturers choose to add or enhance Palu elements in existing development projects, so that Palu can become an integral part of their games. Among them, Tencent's "Let's Create! Our Planet was launched on June 26, while NetEase's Seven Days of World was set for July 9.
Let's Create! Our Planet itself is based on pet raising, auxiliary production, and auxiliary combat as its main selling points. The addition of the Palu element was a very natural change. The game maintains the advantages of Tencent's products, with sufficient content and many newbie-friendly optimizations for the pan-player community. Players don't feel much pressure to survive inside the game, and the game can be played more easily. The biggest challenge for games is how to balance commercialization and user retention, and it depends on how much patience Tencent can have with games.
The biggest difference of NetEase's "Seven Days World" is actually in the style and subject matter. Compared with the cartoon style that is "a bit childish for adults", "Seven Days World" chooses a combination of realistic painting style and supernatural themes. The "Palu" in the game is no longer a cute pet, but a "strange thing" with various superpowers, and the player's pet grabbing activity corresponds to "strange object containment". This kind of theme can really bring a lot of freshness to players. The setting of strange objects also makes Palu's form and function more diverse, leaving a lot of room for future second-generation memes.
It can be felt that the so-called "Palu-like" of the manufacturer is not copied from the original, but combines Palu elements into its original SOC (Open World Survival Construction) project, in order to achieve a 1+1>2 bonus effect. In fact, this summer's Palu War presents this style of painting. All products with pet catching elements in the game refer to Palu's game design to transform their own games, adding or strengthening various functions of pets.
Products such as Tencent's "Rock Kingdom: World" and Guangzhou Ladder Network's "Aura Star 2" are more inclined to mine the value of their own IP, so that pets have more ways to play and players have more company. These IPs, which were originally aimed at young players, have now crossed a ten-year cycle and have accompanied many players to grow up. How to attract both the new generation of players to try and the return of older players is the direction that the IP side is focusing on. This year's popular Palu gameplay can be said to have appeared at the right time, which can solve this problem of the IP side and attract players to the greatest extent.
However, the summer launch time of these products has not yet been determined. "Rock Kingdom: World" has received the version number at the end of June, and "Aura Star 2" is expected to be launched in August. They will not compete head-to-head with mainstream SOC products, because the main selling point of the game is pet development, and the priority is to cover players who want to reach their own feelings. As long as these emotional products are properly promoted, it is not without opportunities to reproduce the opening results of the mobile games "The Legend of Little Raccoon 100 Generals" and "Moore Manor".
SLG Game Wars: I've always seen newcomers laugh
Since 2022, the SLG track has entered a tepid state. On the one hand, the SLG market itself is saturated, and on the other hand, the popularity of tracks such as the second dimension has attracted everyone's attention to content-based games, and the SLG of spelling values has suddenly become less sexy.
However, opportunities are always hidden under the undercurrent, and this year is destined to be another great year for SLG. It is embodied in two points: first, represented by "Three Kingdoms: Conquering the World" at Station B, the new SLG has broken many of the "ancestral laws" of the traditional SLG, allowing SLG to start attracting young players again; Second, represented by products such as "Endless Winter", casual SLG has entered the mini game track and killed a number of hits. What both have in common is the question of "how to find new users".
With the explosion of new products after the launch, the originally stable SLG market pattern has become a mess. The old products dare not lie down easily, and enter the summer file with various benefits, and there are many potential competitors in the new products. For example, Ruyi Jingxiu's new product "World Qiyuan" is scheduled to be released on July 16, and "Beast Lord: New World", which is released by greedy games, has been launched on June 5.
"World Qiyuan" has received a lot of attention because of its own high-profile "Civilization" IP, which was developed by Tencent Northern Lights Studio. The industry also wants to see what kind of results "Civilization", the "ancestor of SLG", can achieve after being made into an SLG mobile game.
Although "Beast Lords: New World" takes a more traditional route of buying volume, relying on its unique theme advantages, it has maintained the top 20 position on the free list since its launch, in exchange for a good increase in server users.
However, while the catfish is down, some people choose to avoid the edge for the time being. For example, in the past few years, Sanqi Mutual Entertainment's national server version of Puzzle & Survival, which has killed all sides overseas, has postponed the launch date of iOS from the original June 30 to September 10. Another overseas hit, FunPlus's State of survival's national server version "Dawning Defense" chose to go online earlier to avoid the crowded summer file.
Some people enter, some people exit. This summer's SLG competition can be described as lively. More and more abundant themes such as winter, animals, and multiple civilizations can bring players more diverse choices, and audience segmentation also strives for greater operating space for purchase and delivery. The new products are no longer only worried about the few taels of meat in the hands of competitors, but strive to open up new markets, use the differences in themes and gameplay to tap new players, and avoid unnecessary involution. It's a very good trend.
However, SLG is a track that fights for the long line and retains it, and the first performance does not determine the final success or failure of the product. Products like "Endless Winter" and "Beast Lord", which have returned to China from overseas, have more choices to wrestle secretly in the buying market. It will take time to see whether "Three Kingdoms: Conquering the World" can subvert SLG's traditional publicity and distribution model and get rid of the high cost of buying volume.
Manufacturers catch each other, and players take what they like
In addition to a few key tracks, manufacturers have not relaxed at all in other categories.
In the match-3 track, Tencent's "Manor Hehe" has been set for July 23, while NetEase's "Egg Boy Slippery" has just been released in June and has been ready at the end of June.
Although the two-dimensional track has cooled down significantly, there are still new products such as "Blazing Sky" at Station B that have attracted much attention and have been launched in the summer.
Placing the game track, Lilith's overseas hit "Sword and Expedition: Departure" is scheduled for August 8, and it is bound to fight 300 rounds with "Let's Go Muffin" and a number of idle mini-games.
In the party game track, Tencent NetEase has continuously added chips to its flagship products, such as adding pet elements, linking with multiple brands, and launching a new creator incentive program. Among them, "Egg Boy Party" also announced at the Nintendo face-to-face conference that it will land on the Switch handheld platform on July 19.
In addition, other manufacturers have no intention of withdrawing from the party war. Although Lilith's "Life Party" was belatedly launched for public beta on June 6, it is still stirring up the pool of party games. Bubble Mart's "Dream Home" was officially launched on June 27, firing the first shot of using party games to promote merchandise. "Heartbeat Town" contains the ambition of Heartbeat Games to expand the scope of party social games, and is scheduled for July 17.
Overall, one of the major features of this year's summer file is that all manufacturers are more focused on both product design and publicity routines, no longer only moving by traffic, but giving priority to products and serving their own players.
For example, this summer was supposed to be a collection of two major sports hotspots, from the European Championship to the Olympics. In previous years, this will become the target of a large number of products to rub the hot spot, and some small and medium-sized projects will also strive to get started quickly and get a share of the traffic. But this year, this phenomenon has not appeared, and even the mini-games that seem to be the most convenient to rub hot spots have not appeared to rub sports traffic.
On the one hand, it shows that domestic manufacturers are increasingly cherishing their feathers, taking the initiative to reduce projects with only short-term benefits, and focusing on projects with more potential to pursue long-term interests. On the other hand, it shows that the influence of games is growing day by day, and it is no longer necessary to always rely on the influence of other industries.
In fact, on the contrary, FIFA and the Olympic Committee have had a growing sense of crisis in recent years. As the appeal of traditional sporting events to young people continues to decline, these sports organizations are clearly feeling the competitive pressure from video games. That's why the Olympic Committee has been mulling esports in the Olympics, and FIFA is determined to take the license back from the football game.
Around the world, the influence of gaming continues to grow, and sports are just one example. And China, as an integral part of the global game industry, is turning its summer file into a global summer file. In the past two years, there has been a significant weakness in the 3A masterpieces from the West, resulting in frequent layoffs by overseas manufacturers, and there are few highlights of traditional press conferences.
In contrast, domestic games are refreshing in terms of product types and theme richness. Such a trade-off situation can be said to be a great opportunity for Chinese manufacturers in the Western game industry, giving us the opportunity to achieve overtaking in the corners in the past few years. It is hoped that in the future, this thriving situation will continue to be maintained, manufacturers will produce more high-quality games, and products will be able to move from domestic to international and become an integral part of China's cultural export. And the player, of course, just play the game well.