It’s undoubtedly been an vital yr for cell, as we’ve identified beforehand one of many largest adjustments to date has been Take-Two Interactive and Activision-Blizzard posting mobile-first income shares for the primary time.
We have speculated as to the extent competitors they’d face in Asia from Tencent, however in a latest interview with GameIndustry.biz, CEO of Tencent international video games Michelle Liu has commented that this is probably not the case. She signifies that their worldwide outreach could have a powerful core of AAA and console video games to compete with different Western publishers and builders.
Though the interview coated all kinds of subjects about Tencent’s international attain into video games, and famous their try to diversify their income streams, it additionally noticed a key level being made. “‘What we’re good at is cell and our in-house studios are good at producing [great] cell video games. What we need to discover extra is to have extra companion studios. They’ve good AAA and AA [experience] and manufacturing functionality. If we will combine and encourage one another collectively, I feel that is the long run.’”
Tencent stepping again from cell?
The overall route, it appears, is that Tencent is transferring in direction of pushing into console and particularly AAA titles. Leveraging their expertise with growing cell video games to supply extra ‘conventional’ titles for different platforms. There isn’t a indication by any signifies that Tencent intends to step again from cell. Reasonably that they’re constructing upon that present enterprise to interrupt into publishing and growing for different platforms.
Tencent famously has a substantial amount of stake in lots of Western firms, together with ownerships similar to Riot Video games. What’s key about these firms is that many might present a blueprint for what Tencent desires to do, as they intend to step into the ring themselves and never through proxy.
Riot Video games specifically publish titles from their mega-popular franchise League of Legends on each cell, console and PC. Due to this fact, the intention is probably going to not construct new IP from the bottom up, however we may even see an growth of them into new, full-fledged AAA titles.
We should see firms like Tencent come into battle with firms like Take-Two Interactive or Activision-Blizzard. Nonetheless, it is probably not in simply the cell market as we might have thought. Cell gaming is now seeing elevated consideration after dramatic shifts in income share for these key publishers and forming the most important a part of total gaming income.
Regardless of a doubtlessly shrinking market there’s nonetheless greater than sufficient proof that the battleground shall be in cell gaming for these doubtlessly clashing titans.
