Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

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The so-called online registration form is a platform management method unique to Steam.

In terms of platform management, although both Spark and Steam are platforms, their styles are completely different.

Spark is more like an agrarian civilization.

Communication with various development teams is relatively frequent, and the total number of full-time game account managers across the four headquarters has reached several hundred.

Their income sources are different from those of other employees at Xinghuo. They also receive commissions, somewhat similar to editors or agents at novel websites.

They receive a commission based on the scale of the games they are responsible for.

Although the commission for each individual game is not much, under normal circumstances, an account manager can communicate with at least a dozen clients, and the total income can be quite considerable.

Therefore, besides maintaining their own clients, the biggest job of account managers is actually recruiting other game companies to log in to the Xinghuo platform.

In this model, developers have a link to communicate with Xinghuo about anything.

Corresponding to sparks.

Steam is more like a nomadic people.

Communication with the game development team was not frequent, or even nonexistent.

It's also a new game launch.

If you launch a game on Spark and want to promote it, Spark's account manager will proactively contact you before you even say anything.

We will arrange for the game to undergo a black-box test. Based on the results of the black-box test and the review team within Spark, we will conduct an initial evaluation of the game. Finally, Spark will proactively communicate with you.

What promotional strategies should be adopted for your game at what time?

It will also help you create accounts on platforms such as Bilibili, Douyin, YouTube, and NCNC, and connect with advertisements on these platforms.

All you need to do is determine the timing and the marketing budget.

In this mode.

The most important thing is the release date. Games, especially single-player games, have release schedules just like movies.

For example, even if you're a top-tier indie game, what if it's released on the same day as Black Myth: Wukong?

Then you'll be cold even if you don't want to.

Therefore, Spark will try its best to schedule a slot based on your subject matter.

This is actually a form of protection for developers.

Of course, if you think your game is really great, you can release it directly without listening to Spark's advice, and that's fine too.

in turn.

The same thing happened on Steam, even though Steam knew early on that game scheduling increased platform revenue.

However, this is limited by the platform's concept and manpower.

Steam doesn't take this matter particularly seriously. The scheduling is done by the developers themselves, who fill out the application, and then Steam compiles all the applications and sends back a form listing the games that will be released in the same month as them.

That means you can decide for yourselves whether to make adjustments.

This is Steam's management method.

Before Spark, the questionnaire was very popular with various development teams because it allowed them to gather information about which games were being released around the same time.

But this year...

But this was contrary to the norm.

Not only did 15% of the developers not provide direct feedback from the questionnaire, but the survey also revealed that...

In the feedback questionnaire, many development teams directly selected that they would log in to multiple platforms.

At that time, besides Steam, the only other platform was Spark.

Aldridge was now truly panicked.

The absence of Chinese players would be a heavy blow to Steam.

Then the developers' updates are really going to be a nightmare.

at this time.

Aldridge's subordinates raised the issue once again.

Should we reduce our commission rates and sign exclusive agreements with most developers?

Right now.

If you sign a PC-exclusive contract with Steam, our revenue share will be reduced to the same level as Spark.

to be frank.

At this point in time, this move is extremely lethal.

Steam currently has a substantial existing user base.

If this is done, the current market size can be guaranteed for at least the next few years.

pity.

Regarding the reduction of commission rates.

No one in the entire Steam team, including Steam's founder Wilford, dared to make this decision.

Yes, including Steam founder Wilford.

No one dared to make that decision.

This involves a core logic.

That is, lowering prices doesn't necessarily make you competitive; Steam isn't like Spark or EPIC.

It lacks full-stack proxy capabilities.

Moreover, most games on Steam do not require a distributor, as a large number of Steam games are single-player games.

This also means.

Based on the current market situation, both Spark and EPIC only offer a 10% commission for purely single-player games.

If Steam lowers its commission rate, it will be reduced from 30% to 10%.

This magnitude is terrifying.

Considering Steam's current user base.

The future decline is a matter for the future.

But if you lower your commission rate, your income will drop by two-thirds instantly!

Steam's total revenue across all platforms in 2018 was $52 billion!

Reducing the commission by 10 percentage points would amount to $5.2 million.

A 20-point reduction would amount to $10 billion.

$10 billion!!

Who can make this decision?

Can Villefort do it?

he can not.

Nobody turns down money, not even Gabe Newell (GabeN).

Therefore, the commission rate cannot be reduced.

Are there any other ways to boost morale?

Naturally there is.

Otherwise, Aldridge wouldn't be sitting here leisurely having coffee with Wilford right now.

Starting last December, while Lin Li was making plans for Xinghuo for 2019, Aldrich was also making plans.

The logic behind the platform wars is quite different from that of the competition among game developers.

Competition among game developers is simply a matter of who makes what kind of game and who makes a similar game.

Even in the broader context.

Game developers are currently actively avoiding competition.

Are you releasing COD in August?

Then I'll move my battlefield back a bit.

Game giants are like film production companies; they compete with each other, but not to a great extent.

Especially in the single-player game market.

Are you saying Black Myth: Wukong is coming out this month? Then the other AAA titles can be adjusted accordingly.

But the platforms are different.

Sony and Microsoft, Apple and Google—that's blatant competition.

compare to.

The competition between EPIC, Steam, and Spark is even fiercer.

Because the PC market share is not yet determined.

Unlike Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

After years of competition, these three companies have developed a certain tacit understanding and each has its own core market.

Furthermore, Microsoft's competitive strategy regarding consoles has completely changed in the past two years.

Subscription has become a core part of Microsoft's business model.

Therefore, the console wars have seemed rather uneventful in the last two years.

Chapter 141 Fire, Fire, Fire

However, the platform competition on PCs is entirely different.

Both EPIC and Spark are new players who entered the market this year.

Steam originally thought that with its size, it could sit back and relax.

Maintaining the status quo.

In its previous life, Steam did exactly this to deal with EPIC's attack.

Ultimately, time proved that this tactic was indeed effective; EPIC did not steal Steam's market share with its low revenue share.

Ultimately, manufacturers want sales volume.

Steam's revenue share is high, but the games still sell. Even if Epic's revenue share is low, it won't work if the games don't sell in large quantities.

Later, several EPIC exclusive titles failed to gain much traction.

Gradually, this market became a tug-of-war.

Steam has gradually stabilized the situation.

But the current situation is completely different from that of my previous life.

Compared to EPIC's weak offense, Spark's offense is much more aggressive and faster.

Previously, Xinghuo mainly developed games for both mobile and PC platforms.

Steam can barely accept it, and has even considered voluntarily abandoning the service type of games and giving the market to Spark.

However, with the appearance of "The Scroll of Taiwu".

Everything is different.

The current Steam platform is missing not only a large number of Spark's own first-party games, but also the Chinese and Japanese markets.

In less than a year.

While Steam was still completely bewildered.

The two sides gradually came to blows as they fought.