Specialist
Former general manager at Youzu Interactive Co Ltd
Agenda
- China’s cloud gaming market development stages, current market size and growth potential, development trends, plus main drivers and challenges
- Cloud-native game and cloud-based mid-core and hardcore PC game development – production and distribution, technologies and representative service providers across the industry chain, plus technical barriers and difficulties
- Leading game companies’ cloud gaming business planning, development strategies and business model exploration
- Cloud gaming operations platforms and solutions providers – competitive landscape, business models and development trends
Questions
1.
What stage has China’s cloud gaming market entered since 2021? What are the characteristics and trends of cloud gaming in the domestic market over the past three years? What do you see as its core drivers and challenges?
2.
You talked about customer-oriented and business-oriented players in the cloud gaming industry. In terms of the industry chain, there are both cloud versions of traditional games and cloud-native games, but the latter seems rare. The development and launch of cloud versions of traditional games may involve some business oriented companies, and after the products are launched, there may be some customer-oriented companies involved. Could you analyse the production and distribution process? What industrial links are involved there?
3.
Genshin Impact can be played on both mobile phones and PCs, but it doesn’t seem to be a cloud-native game. What is the difference?
4.
You mentioned that cloud gaming platforms may develop cloud versions of traditional games. Do leading game companies such as Tencent Games and NetEase Games, as well as smaller players, work with cloud gaming platforms when developing cloud versions of traditional PC games or mobile games, or do they just do the job by themselves? Can you analyse the cooperation models with examples?
5.
Are there cloud versions of mid-core and hardcore PC games or mobile games? Do you see differences about the cooperation model in this segment?
6.
Are customer-oriented cloud gaming platforms and business-oriented cloud service providers developing in two directions, namely the platforms for PC games and those for mobile games? Or are the two types of platforms using the same technologies?
7.
One of my colleagues played Genshin Impact with NetEase Games’ cloud platform. He said it was unsatisfactory due to game lag and low visual quality. You said that Genshin Impact is actually a successful case. How is the players’ feedback on cloud gaming platforms regarding visual quality, smoothness and details? Can the technical upgrade in cloud gaming fulfil the demand of users?
8.
What gaming platforms do leading game companies such as Tencent Games and NetEase Games develop in the customer-oriented and business-oriented markets and what about their monetisation? Tencent Games has three cloud gaming platforms, namely Xianyou, Start and Instant Play. What are the differences among the three platforms?
9.
Considering its experience in the public cloud sector, does Tencent Games have capabilities to provide cloud games and cloud services?
10.
Customer-oriented cloud gaming platforms include those of telecom operators such as China Mobile’s Migu and Tianyi, and Tencent Games’ Xianyou and Start, NetEase Cloud Games, Dianyun’s (点云) Caiji Youxi, Gloud Technology’s Gloud Games, Huya’s Yowa and Douyu’s cloud game platform. What about their competitive landscape? Could you share with us their active users, paying players as well as their game varieties, numbers or richness?
11.
What’s the proportion of active users of leading players? In the future, cloud gaming platforms will continue to adopt the subscription model, so what changes have you discovered in terms of the proportion of their paying players?
12.
Do those platforms charge fees for all the games they launch, or do they offer some games free of charge? Could you give a systematic introduction to their charging models and sources of profit? What about their cost structures covering the cost of game content and bandwidth?
13.
Among the leading cloud gaming platforms, which ones have managed to break even? Or are they still investing much capital without covering their cost?
