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Newzoo:云游戏的极高风险,通信服务提供商为何在价值链中争夺一个环节?|出海美国游戏岛群第31期

2019-08-28 21:04:52

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自发布第一份云游戏报告以来,已经过去了8个月的时间,业界已经发生了很大的变化。随着谷歌Stadia、微软xCloud的宣布,以及最令人惊讶的微软与索尼在云计算和人工智能方面的合作,基于云的解决方案如预期的那样出现了。但在游戏机制造商、发行商和科技公司都在争夺游戏这块蛋糕的时候,它们也面临着一个不那么明显的利益相关者的竞争:当地的电信/通信服务提供商(CoSP)

 

为什么电信公司/运营商对提供云游戏解决方案感兴趣?

 

消费者行为的两大变化最近对电信/CoSP销售语音/短信、数据和付费电视捆绑的商业模式提出了挑战。首先,语音通话和标准文本/短信很难在一个越来越多地通过Skype、WhatsApp和FaceTime等应用程序进行沟通的世界中保持相关性。其次,在一个充斥着Netflix、Twitch和Fortnite的世界里,Millennial的有线电视用户(以及新一代有线电视用户)对付费电视根本不感兴趣。在传统电视捆绑销售受到威胁的情况下,电信公司/运营商必须面对一个问题:如何实现服务多样化,并为客户找到合适的内容组合。这就是游戏的作用所在:云游戏有着严格的延迟要求,是目前5G最引人注目的消费者用例之一,与电信/CoSP的核心业务模式(销售更大的PAC)紧密相连。此外,电信公司/CoSPs还可以从通过运营商结算的应用内购买中提成。

便利因素是电信/CoSP最终能够提供给消费者的一个主要价值(与其它游戏订阅相比,如Xbox Game Pass或育碧(Ubisoft)的新uPlay+)。消费者已经拥有了互联网订阅,对于已经习惯捆绑的消费者来说,添加游戏服务是一个简单的过程——没有额外的硬件(gamepad除外)、没有额外的帐户设置、没有游戏购买或更新。像家庭和老玩家这样的团体可以通过增加游戏订阅来扩大游戏市场,而以前他们没有。与此同时,终极玩家很可能会尝试云服务,提供全新的游戏和内容体验,让他们能够在忙碌中玩游戏。

 

就内容而言,排他性的钟摆还在继续来回摆动,发行商可能会有动力将自己的游戏授权给云游戏服务,因为这将为玩家消除硬件障碍,从而扩大游戏的潜在影响力。在新兴市场,高成本的游戏机或个人电脑并不常见,云游戏让这些心甘情愿的消费者能够参与到他们无法通过其他途径访问的游戏中。随着E3最近发布的内容,平台不可知论被视为一个日益增长的趋势,因为第三方出版商在各种平台上发布了更多的游戏。与此同时,Stadia、微软、索尼和任天堂都有自己的努力,以增强其独家的第一方产品。然而,如果没有自己的服务来推广,外部出版商可以在寻找尽可能多的发行平台和寻求与第一方达成排他性协议之间做出选择。

 

据报道,Verizon早在1月份就测试了一项云游戏服务,而其他运营商的服务也已经在进行中。PlayGiga和Intel®已经达成合作,为电信公司/CoSPs和媒体公司提供云游戏解决方案。(阅读案例研究并观看云游戏部分的两分钟视频)。本质上,电信运营商/CoSPs可以通过PlayGiga的白标签产品(包括游戏),立即为消费者提供捆绑订阅的游戏流媒体服务。与其他商业模式(如Stadia)相比,在不收取额外费用的情况下提供游戏访问是一项消费者利益。在Stadia,用户需要支付额外费用才能在基本服务的基础上访问某些游戏。

 

这并不是电信运营商/CoSPs第一次尝试进入游戏流媒体领域,这次有什么不同吗?

 

正如业内人士所知,云游戏的概念实际上已经存在了好几年,而且已经有几家电信公司或CoSPs在服务领域进行了尝试。

 

然而,之前的尝试在很多方面都处于劣势:高质量的网络连接没有那么普及,云游戏技术没有那么先进,或者不能可靠地提供低延迟。随着用户体验的每一毫秒都呈现出关键的差异,优化低延迟是图形公司的优先事项,英特尔的可视化云架构由Core™i7和Radeon* RX Vega M提供支持,旨在实现这一点。此外,流媒体和订阅的一般概念现在在消费者的头脑中更加牢固。

 

但是,找到合适的内容对于吸引消费者使用任何游戏服务都是至关重要的,这一点在这里尤其重要,因为消费者将通过竞争对手来比较和对比服务。因此,要想在与谷歌或微软的服务竞争中获得最大的成功,电信公司/CoSPs将需要提升针对其关键用户群的内容和定价策略,并确保它们能够满足不同玩家群体的动机。

 

如今,电信公司/CoSPs希望迅速将目前在光纤和5G网络上的投资货币化,而云游戏技术是收回部分成本的一个诱人选择。拥有消费者数据还使电信公司/CoSPs能够了解消费者行为,并进一步优化其针对客户的内容策略。通过在同一GPU中管理多个订阅者,而不是像PlayGiga的图形虚拟化技术那样,为每个订阅者分配一个GPU,可以将基础设施成本降到最低。使用英特尔芯片组,Playgiga的运营成本可以通过更好的电源管理和空间需求减少50%,为电信公司/CoSPs创造了一个有利可图的商业案例。

 

云游戏会取代pc和主机吗?

 

随着其他云技术的进步,包括EA的云原生开发平台Project Atlas, Hatch的5G移动云游戏服务,以及关于亚马逊也在采取行动的传言,游戏行业似乎正在集体迈向充满云的未来。 

 

尽管如此,我们还远远没有看到云游戏的巅峰,短期内,我们预计云服务将与传统游戏共存——服务于不同的受众,满足不同的需求。我们相信,只要消费者能够感知到游戏的价值,本地游戏仍然会有一席之地,比如为快速反应时间进行优化的电子竞技专业人士,或者那些无法获得稳定互联网服务的军事部署人员。与此同时,即使是最坚定的硬件爱好者也可能被说服尝试云游戏,以获得移动优势和云原生平台所带来的前所未有的体验。正如消费者可以欣赏电影院、家庭影院和移动设备上的流媒体电影的不同用例一样,游戏玩家也会发现云游戏是如何融入他们的生活方式的。

 

英文:

The Sky-High Stakes of Cloud Gaming: Why Communications Service Providers Are Vying for a Link in the Value Chain

 

It’s been eight months since we released our first cloud gaming report, and already much has changed in the industry. With the announcement of Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, and most surprisingly, Microsoft’s collaboration with Sony on cloud and AI, cloud-based solutions have arrived as predicted. But as console-makers, publishers, and tech companies each fight for a piece of the gaming pie, they also face competition from a less obvious stakeholder: your local telco/Communications Service Provider (CoSP)

 

Why Are Telcos/CoSPs Interested in Offering Cloud Gaming Solutions?

 

Two big changes in consumer behavior have recently challenged the telco/CoSP business model of selling voice/SMS, data, and pay-TV bundling. First, voice calling and standard texts/SMS have struggled to maintain relevance in a world increasingly communicating via apps such as Skype, WhatsApp, and FaceTime. Secondly, millennial cord-cutters (and cord-nevers) are simply not as interested in pay-TV in a world full of Netflix, Twitch, and Fortnite. With traditional TV bundles under threat, telcos/CoSPs must confront the question of how to diversify services and find the right content mix for their customers. This is where gaming comes in: Cloud gaming, with its strict latency requirements, is one of the most compelling consumer use-cases for 5G right now and ties in neatly with telco’s/CoSP’s core business model—selling larger data packages. Furthermore, telcos/CoSPs can take a cut of in-app purchases made via carrier billing.

 

One primary value a telco/CoSP can offer consumers (compared to other games subscriptions such as Xbox Game Pass or the new uPlay+ from Ubisoft) is ultimately the convenience factor. Consumers already have an internet subscription, and adding a gaming service to that is a simple process for a consumer already used to the concept of bundling—no extra hardware (except a gamepad), no extra account setup, no game purchases or updates. Groups such as families and lapsed gamers may expand the gaming market by adding a gaming subscription here where they previously did not have one. Meanwhile, ultimate gamers are likely to try cloud services that deliver entirely new types of gaming and content experiences and enable them to game on the go.

 

As far as content goes, the exclusivity pendulum continues to swing back and forth, and publishers can be motivated to license their games to cloud gaming services as it would remove hardware barriers for players thereby expanding the potential reach of their game. In emerging markets where high-cost consoles or PCs are uncommon, cloud gaming enables these willing consumers to engage with games they could not access otherwise.  With the recent content announcements from E3, platform agnosticism is seen as a growing trend as third-party publishers release more titles across a variety of platforms. At the same time, Stadia, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have their own efforts to beef up their exclusive first-party offerings. Without their own service to promote, however, external publishers can choose between finding as many distribution platforms as possible, or pursuing an exclusivity deal with a first-party.

 

While Verizon reportedly tested a cloud gaming service back in January, other carrier offerings are already underway. PlayGiga and Intel® have entered into a collaboration to bring a cloud gaming solution to telcos/CoSPs and media companies. (Read the case study and watch the two-minute video in the Cloud Gaming section). Essentially, telcos/CoSPs can immediately provide consumers with a bundled subscription game streaming service by using PlayGiga’s white-label offering – games included. Including games access without an additional fee is a consumer benefit in contrast to other business models such as Stadia where users will need to pay extra to access some games on top of the baseline service. 

 

This Isn’t the First Time Telcos/CoSPs Have Tried to Enter the Game-Streaming Space; What’s Different this Time?

 

As those within the industry know, the concept of cloud gaming has actually been around for several years—and a few telcos/CoSPs have tried their hand at services already.

 

However, previous attempts were disadvantaged in multiple ways: high quality network connectivity wasn’t as widespread, and cloud gaming tech was not as advanced, or able to offer low latency’s reliably. With each millisecond presenting a critical difference in user experience, optimizing for low latency is a priority for graphics companies, and Intel’s visual cloud architecture powered by Core™ i7 and Radeon* RX Vega M is designed to achieve just that. Furthermore, the general concept of streaming and subscriptions is now more firmly established in consumers’ minds.

 

But finding the right content is crucial to attract consumers to any games service, and it will be especially important here as consumers will compare and contrast services by competitors. Thus, to have the best chance at success against services from Google or Microsoft, telcos/CoSPs will need to elevate their content and pricing strategy for their key demographics and ensure they serve the motivations of different gamer segments.

 

Today, telcos/CoSPs are looking to quickly monetize their current network investments in fiber and 5G, and cloud gaming technologies are an attractive option to recoup some of these costs. Owning the consumer data also enables telcos/CoSPs to understand consumption behavior and further optimize their content strategy for customers. The infrastructure costs may be minimized by managing several subscribers in the same GPU as opposed to technologies that dedicate one single GPU per subscriber, as demonstrated by PlayGiga’s graphics virtualization technologies. Using the Intel chipset, Playgiga’s OpEx may be reduced by as much as 50 percent1 through better power management and space requirements, creating a profitable business case for telcos/CoSPs.

 

Will Cloud Gaming Replace PCs and Consoles?

 

With other advances towards cloud including EA’s cloud-native development platform Project Atlas, Hatch’s 5G cloud gaming service on mobile, and rumors of Amazon also making moves, it seems that the games industry is collectively marching towards a cloud-filled future.   

 

Nonetheless, we are a far cry from seeing the apex of cloud gaming, and in the near term expect cloud services to exist alongside traditional gaming — serving a different audience with different needs. We believe that local gaming will still have a place, as long as consumers perceive value in it, such as for the eSports pros optimizing for fast reaction times or those on military deployment without access to a stable internet service. Meanwhile, even the staunchest hardware enthusiast may be persuaded to try cloud gaming for the mobility benefits and never-before-possible experiences enabled by a cloud-native platform. Just as consumers can appreciate the different use cases of movie theaters vs. home theaters vs. streaming movies on mobile devices, gamers will also discover how cloud gaming fits into their lifestyle.

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