Chapter 152 XGP Service
There are two versions of "Speed", namely the console version and the PC version.
Unlike previous Tianba games, PC sales accounted for more than 70% or even 80%, and console sales were dispensable.
New game consoles are selling very well.
Less than two months after its release, the total number of active players on the console has exceeded one million, even more than on the PC.
"Xbox Game Pass!"
Chen Ba said the key reason for the rapid growth of players is the Game Pass membership subscription service launched by Xbox.
This stuff smells great!
After players purchase XGP membership, they can play various exclusive and high-quality games without any hindrance during the service period, which is very attractive to players.
This is a player's perspective.
From the perspective of game developers, Xbox Game Pass also has a considerable positive factor, and that is traffic!
"Gamers basically have their own preferences. For example, Xiao Lu likes to play Galgame, Zhong Shengwei likes to play RPG adventures, and Dong Ge likes to play strategic management..."
Chen Ba used everyone as an example, and then said with a smile: "For you, when you encounter the type of game you like to play, it must be a no-brainer. But what if it is the type of game you don't like?"
Interest determines willingness to pay!
Players who are interested in games will have a high willingness to pay. If a player who likes to play business simulation games encounters a business simulation game, his willingness to pay will definitely be stronger than a player who likes to play soul games.
on the other hand.
If the theme of this game is not what you like, then your willingness to pay will be very low.
"Indeed it is……"
Everyone nodded in unison.
This is also a recognized fact in the game industry. Different game types target different groups of players.
"But the Xbox Game Pass membership subscription service has changed this ecosystem, because its payment logic is a bit like those monthly memberships for video software and music platforms."
Chen Ba asked back: "If you become a VIP member of Tianba Music and a popular new song is released on the platform, will you listen to it?"
"Definitely!"
Xiao Lu said without hesitation: "I have already signed up a membership and can listen to it on all platforms. Why don't you go and listen to it?"
"But you like more lyrical music and are not interested in this kind of rock?"
"Then I'll listen to it too."
"If it sounds good, add it to the playlist. If it doesn't sound good, just pretend you haven't heard it before!"
"Yep!"
Chen Ba snapped his fingers and said: "These are the players that Xbox Game Pass has attracted to "Fast", a large group of players who may not be interested in racing games."
As an XGP member, you will definitely want to give it a try when faced with so many games in the game library.
After trying it out, I found that it was actually pretty good, not that annoying, and the price after the discount was acceptable, so I just bought one!
Many players think so.
This is also the fundamental reason why "Assault" instantly gained a large number of players after joining the Xbox Game Pass service and gained a firm foothold on the Xbox console platform.
The total number of XGP members is exaggerated.
Although home game consoles are a relatively unpopular field in China, Xbox Game Pass is a service that many people have never been exposed to.
However, in foreign countries, especially in Europe and the United States, home game consoles are still quite popular, and there are not a few players who subscribe to the XGP membership service. There must be tens of millions.
Among the tens of millions of XGP members, even if only a small number of players are curious about the new "Speed Rush" and want to download and play it, that's not a small number.
"Can we get a share of the money?"
Xiao Lu is not interested in the so-called XGP membership service. He only cares about one thing, that is, if "Speed" has been included in the XGP game library, can Tianba Studio get a share of the money?
"Of course we can!"
"We are a third party, not a first-party game developer." Chen Ba rolled his eyes.
If it is a game studio wholly owned by Microsoft, also commonly known as a first party, they are part of the same family as Xbox, and it does not matter whether they split the money or not. Anyway, the money is divided from left to right.
But as a third party, Tianba Studio, if they don’t pay them, wouldn’t it just become a part-time job?
Brothers still have to settle accounts!
This money must be divided. How to divide it depends on the proportion of "Fast" in the XGP service, as well as the total playing time of players and other comprehensive data.
Chen Ba did a rough calculation.
If the number of active players is maintained at the current level, it will be easy to distribute 20 to 30 million US dollars in a year.
Doesn’t sound like much?
But don’t forget, this is just the income after XGP’s sharing, not counting the sales of the game itself!
The XGP membership service has attracted millions of players to "Assault". Even if only some of these players will buy the game, hundreds of thousands of copies of the game will be sold.
"How much money do you make?"
After listening to Brother Ba's narration, Zhong Shengwei murmured: "In that case, the console platform alone may create tens of millions of revenue for us?"
"That's what the game of gun, cart and ball is like."
Compared to the fuss made by others, Chen Ba seemed very bland, mainly because when he decided to develop a "Gun Car Ball" game, he knew that the market would be huge.
Facts have proved that gun, car and ball are indeed the three winning strategies recognized by the gaming industry!
These three types of games indeed have countless fans, extremely large market shares, and countless die-hard fans all over the world.
This is still a racing game...
If it were a shooting game, that is, a gun in Gun Car Ball, the market would be so vast that Chen Ba couldn't even imagine it.
"I have a bold idea!"
Xiao Lu suddenly thought: "Since every element of Gun, Car and Ball is so awesome, what would happen if these three elements were combined together to make a game?"
"Grand Theft Auto!"
Chen Ba chuckled and said: "The combination of guns and cars creates one of the greatest works in the history of gaming. Combining all three? Then you have to become a god directly!"
This idea is too cruel.
The simple combination of guns and cars is an epic masterpiece that is popular all over the world and has sales of over 100 million. If the "ball" element is added to the GTA series, players will probably be extremely excited.
"The console platform is a little on the decline, but a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. No matter what, the console is also the most popular home entertainment platform abroad."
"If Tianba Studio wants to go abroad and produce more games for sale around the world, the console is still a point that cannot be ignored."
Chen Ba has no prejudice against consoles.
Although he is a loyal PC player and has played on PC since he was a child, he also knows that consoles are better to use abroad.
Tianba Studio doesn’t want to go overseas, it just wants to stay in China and make money from Chinese people.
If you want to go overseas and earn money from foreign players, you really cannot ignore the optimization and emphasis on the host platform.
"Okay, I know."
Yang Dong knew that what Brother Ba meant was that their operation and maintenance team could not just optimize the PC side. The console side also had to be balanced.
Today is different from the past!
In the past, console players had few players and sales were low, so if you didn’t pay attention to it, you shouldn’t take it seriously. But now that the number of console players has exceeded one million, if it still can’t attract attention, it’s really hopeless.
Speaking of game optimization, Yang Dong remembered something.
In the game "Speed", many players have reported the same problem, that is, they can't play music while driving?
Bad review!
Brother Ba, what are you doing?
Why is there no in-car music? Do you know how serious a blow it is to everyone that you can’t listen to music while driving?
"Well……"
After learning that players were protesting that they could not listen to music while driving, Chen Ba also felt helpless and said: "Copyright is not easy to deal with!"
If players play their own songs, that's okay, but if the official releases a lot of copyrighted music through updates, that's a bad thing.
"Get a car audio system, but it doesn't have built-in music files, you know what I mean?"
"I see."
Yang Dong understood. Brother Ba meant that he could play songs for everyone, but these songs cannot be officially provided by Tianba Studio. Players need to manually add song files and paths.
In this way, Tianba Studio does not need to purchase the so-called song copyright.
After all, they only made a car audio system and did not provide audio files. They were all tinkered by the players themselves. Can they be blamed for infringement?
"correct!"
Speaking of the game "Speed", Chen Ba seemed to have thought of something, so he asked: "By this time, most players should have saved enough money to experience the vehicle modification function, right?"
It is said that the repair function of the game "Speed" is very powerful and can simulate the most realistic car repair process.
But in fact, everyone has overlooked one thing, that is, the vehicle modification function of this game is also very powerful, and the degree of freedom is also very high!
It has been so long since the game was released, and Chen Ba also wants to know what interesting cars have been modified by this group of players?
"That's really..."
Yang Dong thought for a while and couldn't think of an appropriate adjective. He said hesitantly: "I can't describe it. You can go to the community and read the posts yourself!"
Chen Ba: "???"
Why is it so hard to describe?
Is it possible that these players can do something shocking?
Out of curiosity, Chen Ba clicked on the newly opened "Tianba Auto Trade" section of the Tianba community and browsed the popular posts on the forum.
The first modification post is normal.
The player converted an ordinary household scooter into a highway tow truck. A triangular shovel head was added to the front of the car. As long as he drove towards the traffic jam, a lane on the congested road was instantly cleared.
Real physical obstacle removal!
Okay……
Although it is a bit abstract, it is at least within the acceptable range and not as indescribable as Yang Dong said.
Next!
When he clicked on the second modification post, the tea cup Chen Ba was holding almost fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
What the hell?
What kind of weird idea is this? They actually added propellers and air cushions to the vehicle so that the vehicle can float on the water and move forward quickly, turning it into an amphibious vehicle.
The player then drove his modified amphibious vehicle across the sea, and finally reached the wall of air at the edge of the map.
OK OK!
Is that how you play?
I guessed that players would be very imaginative, but when seeing these modified products, Chen Ba couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Next one, next one!
Instead of doing this kind of abstract modification, can you be more serious and modify a car that has real practical value and can kill everyone on the track?
Perhaps Chen Ba's prayer had an effect. The third modified car he got was finally not a complete job, but a serious racing modification.
The appearance is basically unchanged.
If anything, it's probably because the car is a lot bloated, and I don't know what the player did.
Enter the actual combat exercise and start a match directly. A GIF animation of about 15 seconds appears in the post.
Chen Ba clicked on it to check.
In the animated picture, a modified racing car did not start after the countdown ended, but burned its tires on the spot until thick smoke billowed out.
What is this for?
Chen Ba looked very puzzled. The other cars had started, and you were still burning the tires. Did you forget to release the handbrake?
Before he could figure out what the intention was, he saw a fire suddenly ignited at the rear wheel of the vehicle after the thick smoke, and then there was a violent explosion.
Amidst the explosion, the racing car that had been stationary jumped up and was blown away by the huge impact. Carrying fire and smoke, it crossed the winding track and landed directly on the finish line.
Chen Ba: "..."
He swore that he had never seen a more outrageous modification than this in his life. How could this be a racing car? This is obviously an explosion genius. He has even calculated the parabola, right?
abstract!
No wonder Yang Dong can't describe it. Who can see the abstract modifications made by these players and get a black eye?
"Forget it, let them be."
Knowing that he couldn't control the fourth natural disaster, Chen Ba didn't think there was anything wrong with these modifications.
If a player doesn't make a living, is he still a player?
It's more practical to expect players to be honest than to expect sows to climb trees. As long as you don't...fuck!
Chen Ba, who originally wanted to delete the community webpage, accidentally caught a glimpse of the title and picture of a post, and his eyes widened instantly.
[Start from scratch and create a car that is unique in the world! 】
Ah this...
Chen Ba thought of ten thousand ways for players to complete their lives, but he never expected that someone would actually try to build a car in the game "Speed"?
No!
A car is not as simple as "four wheels and a sofa" as everyone ridicules. The parts and mechanical devices involved are quite complex.
A handmade car?
Although the physics engine of "Speed" can support this idea, the problem is that ideas are ideas, and putting them into action is not as simple as words.
Just when Chen Ba thought that this player was having a whim, he suddenly thought of a question.
Has the post been sent?
Now that he has posted, does that prove that he has made some progress?
Is it true... is there really someone in the game who, using simple equipment and tools, built a car with his bare hands?
He clicked on this post by accident, and after taking a quick look, he breathed a sigh of relief.
so far so good!
It’s not so outrageous that it’s all done by hand. He also borrowed parts from the game that can be used for repairs.
For example, in the car he built, the battery, motor and electronic control system were all purchased from suppliers, and he was only responsible for design, assembly and testing.
However, this is also amazing!