The meta-universe is on the rise: it will greatly increase the degree of innovation in game products

Reporters Chen Yibo and Wu Kezhong reported from Guangzhou and Beijing

Recently, the third-party data agency Gamma Data and Newzoo jointly released the "Metacosmum Global Development Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The Report points out that the meta-universe will greatly increase the degree of innovation of game products. In the next few years, Chinese game companies will also be committed to developing innovative games to achieve the final product form of the meta-universe.

The reporter of China Business Daily learned from the "Report" that many domestic game companies have laid out meta-universe related fields. The existing layout is mainly divided into four major sections: underlying architecture, back-end infrastructure, front-end equipment, and scene content.

Xiao Hong, CEO of Perfect World, pointed out that at present, the game industry is still exploring the metaverse, and the development of the metacosm is similar to cloud games, and the product will gradually progress and upgrade. From the current point of view, the game is a product form close to the metaverse.

The game plays the role of "architect"

Ryan Gill, co-founder and CEO of Crucible, compares the role of game developers as "architects" in the metaverse (web3.0) to the "architect" role of web developers on the Internet (web 2.0).

The report also mentions that metaverse trends in games often contain several key elements, including: new (social) engagement patterns and behavior patterns in games; innovations in content delivery, technology, and game design, including the growth of UGC; the growing popularity of NFTs and the concept of "permanent digital ownership"; the convergence of different game worlds and IP; the growing importance of in-game identities and customization options; and the convergence of the digital and real worlds.

Metaverse concepts help improve metrics for user acquisition, retention, and commercialization, specifically enhancing repeatable in-game experiences; adding new revenue streams and finding new modes of commercialization; expanding their reach to new audiences, even non-gamer groups; and creating new motivations for play.

Early metaverse-related activities revolved around brand-game collaboration, providing players with a way to express themselves or engage with favorite content. In return, brands can gain exposure, expand their audiences, and get new revenue opportunities. However, there are also enterprise-level applications that use gaming or gaming technology as a platform.

Over the past decade, gaming has evolved into an experience that combines playing, watching, and participating. The metacosm will be the next phase of the game, integrating non-gaming experiences, driven by technology, the way consumers interact with the game. This evolutionary development has made the game a platform for multiple stakeholders to create and capture value outside of their core products.

Game publishers are pushing for acceptance of this new interactive experience through these non-gaming experiences, such as virtual concerts, virtual fashion shows, IP linkages, and media/product co-branding. Non-gaming experiences have a strong and broad appeal, as virtual concerts and similar events can also appeal to non-gamers. At the same time, players will also think of the game as a platform for identity expression, social events, or create their own game modes, resulting in an experience similar to the metaverse.

Thinking of games as a simulation platform can unlock a wealth of new opportunities in the future. This will usher in the next major shift in the gaming industry: from Games-as-a-Service to Games-as-a-Platform.

The short- and long-term evolution of the metaverse will lead to new business models, content production, interactions, and new engagement models, for both players and non-gamers alike.

(The Report notes that the future metaverse will bring new perspectives and expectations to the game.) ）

The report also looks ahead to the possible developments and changes in the game industry over the next decade. Specifically, whether it is in game design, content, business model, or marketing, the games of the future will have more social content, a more comprehensive immersive experience, and more creativity.

Lu Huibo, senior analyst of Gamma Data, said that cloud games also have a certain correlation with the metaverse, cloud games need to have distributed rendering in the cloud, and AI algorithms to reduce latency, which are also needed by the metaverse.

Xiao Hong believes that at present, the game industry is still exploring the metaverse, and the development of the metacosm is similar to cloud games, and the product will gradually progress and upgrade. From the current point of view, the game is a product form close to the metaverse.

It is still in the early stage of development and exploration

It is worth noting that the Report also quoted Hadean CEO Craig Beddis as saying that at present, some of the challenges brought by the game industry to the metaverse have not been fully paid attention to. At present, no company can independently complete the creation of the metacosm, and the creation of the metacosm must be the result of collective efforts. The entire gaming industry needs to have a common language and use the same set of standards, procedures, and protocols to find answers to a series of questions: How can avatars and objects achieve cross-platform interoperability? Who bears the server costs? How to optimize energy consumption and computing power resources?

Craig Beddis also noted that there are teams that are currently working on these issues, but they need to invest deeper and more thoroughly. Moreover, major players and stakeholders in the gaming industry must also be involved in this work.

Century Huatong Chief Strategy Official Hui believes that from the industrial level, the metacosm is still in the early stage of development. Because there is a large number of combinations of technologies in the metaverse, and the metaverse has an independent economic system and deep social networking, even including the experience of eating, wearing, living and traveling in it, each single system or a projection of the real world, therefore, in the ideal form, the development and design of metaverse content is much more difficult than the current game.

The metaverse also has higher requirements for technological thresholds, including the evolution and accumulation of cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, signal capture, and artificial intelligence. In addition, meta-universe products should be online anytime, anywhere, and there are higher standards for computing power and server stability. The ultimate form of the metaverse is not planned, but a result of continuous exploration and continuous evolution.

Fang Hui believes that in this process, three difficulties still need to be solved.

The first is the support of the underlying computing power. Metaverse games have a more open world, so their content is very large, and the requirements for computing power are very high. With the division of labor model of the so-called client of the game now, it may not meet the large demands of the cloud universe game for computing power.

The second is cross-industry technology integration. Metaverse games not only involve the technology of games, but also the integration of multiple technologies in multiple industries such as digital twins, signal capture, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, etc. This will also lead to the problem of talent shortage in the future, especially the demand for compound and cross-industry talents will continue to grow.

Third, the creation of the metaverse involves the joint participation of partners from all walks of life, including artificial intelligence, digital twins, virtual idols and a series of companies, so the final form of the metacosm is a result of everyone's participation and common progress. In the early metaverses, the first to make progress may have been the leading companies in the game industry, because they had more resources to do cutting-edge exploration and layout.

(Editor: Dong Shuguang Proofreader: Yan Yuxia)