With two rounds of 100 million -level financing, how can the publisher NetEase shadow nuclear help the VR industry break?

Compared with the overseas VR market, China is more needed at this stage, which is deeply and adapted to the game content of Chinese users. Such content requires publishers to guide developers and channel vendors to explore together.

Since the outbreak of VR (virtual reality) industry six years ago, discussions around the "what can VR do" never stopped. However, virtual reality does not explode as quickly as imagined. It is limited by the limitations of product experience. It has become more popular and localized VR equipment and ecology in the past two years.

VR games play an important role in the popular VR experience. It is also one of the lowest entry thresholds and one of the most popular content forms of players. How to bring users with high quality and playable VR games, is the continuous development of developers and platforms. Thinking.

Among them, Netease shadow nuclear began to be recognized by the industry as a VR game publisher. It is understood that two rounds of financing have been completed in a year after the split, including the Pre-A round of financing, which includes the exclusive investment of fresh capital, and the strategic investment (A round) exclusively completed by Star Investment (OPPO's investment company) exclusively (OPPO). The scale of funds reaches 100 million. The fund plan will be used for VR content, marketing operations and team building, and further improves the layout of NetEase Shadow nuclear in the virtual reality ecology.

Because the ecology has not been improved, game publishers vertical on the VR track are important and scarce. The NetEase shadow nuclear that completes financing as a publisher will still face many challenges in industrial development in the future.

The content dilemma of Chinese VR ecology

Different from traditional video games, VR games usually need players to show their heads, and their immersion and real sense are relatively strong. In the past two years, the global VR hardware equipment and technology have a qualitative leap. According to IDC forecast, global VR sales will reach 13.92 million units in 2022, with a broad market prospect. The rise in equipment sales has also brought new problems: the demand for players for boutique VR games is becoming stronger. Everyone does not want VR to be just a "big toy".

In the past two years, VR games such as "half -life: ALYX" and "Biochemical Crisis 4" launched by overseas manufacturers have attracted a large number of players. The overall improvement of overseas VR games has also raised the overall requirements and expectations of VR games in China.

However, the domestic VR game market is facing many dilemma. In addition to the lack of high -quality masterpieces, Chinese users who are accustomed to mobile games have higher expectations for the follow -up operations and functional iterations of the game. Domestic platforms lack monopoly games and 3A masterpieces, and most of the game experience is only a few hours and lack of return. A large number of equipment and platforms that load pirated software into the market are even more difficult for players to experience the fun of VR games.

For overseas developers, the Chinese market with massive gamers is undoubtedly a blue ocean with enough attractiveness, but it is not so easy to enter. The restriction of the version number policy has increased the threshold of the Chinese market. There are also layers of barriers between developers and players, and the overall communication efficiency is low. For domestic hardware manufacturers and Taiwanese businessmen, their primary tasks are to expand their product shelves through massive game content. The introduction of high -quality game content and refined game operations still lack extra energy and sufficient energy and sufficient enough. experience.

It is difficult for developers to enter the Chinese market. Channel vendors lack the long -term operating capabilities of fine content. A series of problems have caused Chinese VR platforms to be decentralized, good game quality and operational levels, and there are no stable communities among players. Most users are scattered in different hardware. With the software platform, the overall game experience is not good.

It can be seen that for the VR market, the role of publisher is particularly indispensable. As a bridge of link developers and channels (hardware/platform), publishers have been responsible for discovering potential potential to become explosive and brought into the Chinese market after the developer completes the development of the game. The subsequent localization of the game is updated, players and community operations, marketing customers, channels, and commercialization are also fully responsible for publishers. For a single game, there will be only one domestic publisher, and the publisher will face many channel manufacturers to reach users to the maximum content.

Compared with the overseas VR market, China is now more rich, fine and adaptable to the content of Chinese user game. This content requires publishers to guide developers and channel vendors to explore together. Entering the market, on the other hand, it is the best channel, user group, and long -term operating strategy for the game itself.

Why do VR games need Netease Shadow Core?

The NetEase Shadow Euctage team comes from NetEase Games and has launched the XR ecology since 16 years. In 2018, the founder of the team led the cooperation between Netease and the top VR developer overseas Survios, and established the JV -Netease Shadow Nuclear at the end of 2018 to focus on VR game distribution business.

In the early days of the establishment of Netease Shadow Nuclear, China's VR market was still in the early market education stage. Relying on the team's many years of VR industry experience, and the IP and distribution capabilities accumulated in the game industry, Netease Shadow won a number of boutique games. China exclusively issued authorization to create a rich VR content matrix. When all -in -one equipment has not yet become mainstream equipment accepted by users, by introducing overseas boutique game IP, multi -channel cooperation of offline VR, online and offline VR e -sports events, NetEase shadow nuclear leadership has gradually become some new players. Seed users of VR games. With the gradual improvement of domestic consumer VR hardware, the platform ecology has gradually improved, and the experience of the VR all -in -one machine has begun to be recognized by more players. The importance of NetEase Shadow Nuclear as a boutique game publisher has begun to appear. The company also brings more boutique content to all -in -one equipment because of timely to achieve omni -channel distribution capabilities.

"At the beginning of the team, it was firm to follow the road of the fine content issuer." Cao Anjie told 36 氪, "We hope to use high -quality VR game content matrix, professional localization support, comprehensive marketing operations, comprehensive online online online Multiple advantages such as lower channel distribution, linking the upstream and downstream partners in the link industry chain, in addition to bringing boutique content for the pain points of the VR game industry, will also focus on solving the lack of experience brought by the current VR game. The threshold of VR has effectively enhanced the influence of VR games. "

For developers, the Netease shadow nuclear as a publisher can give developers sufficient content research and development suggestions, and help developers to localize gaming and optimize gameplay, so that their games are more suitable for Chinese users and markets. At the same time, Netease Shadow Nuclear will also plan the game release strategy for targeted, so as to efficiently radiate accurate user groups, and achieve the biggest exposure of the game itself and the long -term return of users. On the other hand, Netease shadow nuclear also brings sufficient boutique game content support for major VR channels (hardware/platform). In order to avoid a large amount of quality and uneven content, players lose confidence in the VR market.

At this year's NetEase Game 520 conference, Netease shadow nuclear showed its own VR game universe at one time. In addition to the successful HBO explosive American drama IP derivative VR game "Western World", the Steam global best -selling list FPS In addition to the game "RAW DATA", it exposes the masterpiece of "Creed: Honor", which is about to face the C -end market. Coupled with the many games previously released, Netease's release lineup has covered a variety of categories such as fighting, shooting, adventure, music, competition, sports, leisure, and ensure that each category has at least one top VR game.

After more than three years of development, Netease shadow nuclear has improved the excavation and transportation of multi -platform boutique games, the promotion of omni -channel marketing, and the operation capabilities of the game/event. It has gradually become the head publisher of the Chinese VR game market.

In fact, whether it is the era of the end game or the mobile game era, the content publisher plays a very important role in the industrial chain. Whether the game can become a explosion and maximize the value. In addition to the quality of the game itself, it also greatly determines the great extent. Operating strategy of publisher. The diversity responsibilities that publishers themselves need to have higher requirements for team capabilities and corporate resources. The nucleus that teaches the gaming industry and obtains the strategic investment of many large manufacturers is undoubtedly the best among them. Throughout the current Chinese VR game market, few companies perpendicular to this field, and the potential of the Chinese VR market has not been fully discovered. The nucleus will continue to cooperate with the upstream and downstream manufacturers to explore more. Market space.

The future and opportunities of VR games

Data show that the actual sales revenue of the Chinese game market in 2021 was 296.513 billion yuan. Among them, the proportion of virtual reality games was only single -digit, and there were very few games to get the version number. Excavation.

At the same time, the popularity of VR games also allows the industrial chain to think about "how to use VR as the entrance to the virtual world" and create more diversified content experience. There is still a long road to the Chinese VR game market to go, and VR publishers will also play a more important role in the future.

Netease shadow nuclear through the content ecosystem of high -quality boutique, rich channel platform resources, and mature operating marketing experience. While gaining more capital and market recognition, players also have greater expectations for VR games and VR applications.

- END -