Holidays have always been an important node in the game industry. In order to retain players for a long time and let players continue to feel the value and belonging of the game, high-quality operation activities and brand marketing combined with festival culture are essential. Like this year's Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, we have also seen many games carry out related activities online and offline, and some have even driven the growth of game revenue.
However, the mobile game noted that in this year's Lantern Festival, NetEase made a different attempt - combined with its 20 head game products, opened a live broadcast of "NetEase Game Lantern Welfare Night" on the dual platforms of Douyu and Video.
Including "Journey to the West" COMPUTER VERSION, "Journey to the West", "Journey to the West", "Yin and Yang Division", "Harry Potter: Magical Awakening", "The Fifth Personality", "Operation Wilderness", "After Tomorrow", "Under the Heavens 3", "Under the Heavens" mobile game, "Coast of the Land", "Forever Doom", "Against the Cold Water", "Qiannu Ghost" mobile game, "New Qiannu Ghost", "A Dream", "Journey to the West 2 Classic Edition", "Journey to the West 2 Free Edition", "Journey to the West", "Diablo: Immortal", "Epic of Taiya" A total of 20 games sent a total of more than 1 million Lantern red envelopes and benefits during the one-hour live broadcast, winning the attention and participation of nearly 1 million players.
Why did NetEase hold this "trench gas" welfare activity at the Lantern Festival? Looking back at the entire live broadcast event and some of the discussions of participating players, I feel that NetEase seems to have more accurate control over the needs of players.
At this event, NetEase Games' 20 games jointly released more than one million peripheral and cash benefits
01
20 games combined
Create a unique "welfare night"
In general, this activity revolves around the word "welfare", and there are 4 red envelope rains in the whole live broadcast, and the total value of welfare prizes exceeds one million. However, while "simple and rude" distribution of benefits, each game also combines its own characteristics and launches a program linked to the Lantern Culture, and the content of lantern riddles, dances, congratulatory messages, etc. is dazzling, providing all players with a wonderful "Lantern Party".
For example, as the opening scene, the dancers of the computer version of "Fantasy Journey to the West" incarnated as Dancing Tianji and brought a "Peach Blossom Smile" dance performance, which brought enough emotional feelings to the players of "Fantasy Journey to the West".
Not only that, the major games also have their own team members, well-known KOLs, etc. as "welfare officer representatives", parachuting on the spot to broadcast benefits and open online and offline interaction with players. For example, Ma Nan of "Wilderness Action" planned to send a large amount of cash red envelopes, and the product welfare officer of "Diablo: Immortal" also sent a large number of exquisite peripheral and cash red envelopes to players in the "Dice Competition".
Of course, for players watching live broadcasts, the most concerned is a series of heavy benefits broadcast on the spot. It is understood that the welfare prizes not only have the game blockbuster peripherals, but also the alien high-end game book, iPhone13 ProMax and other "practical" generous rewards, to meet the different needs of gamers, passers-by audience and so on.
Throughout the event, 20 products distributed a total prize value of more than 1 million yuan in 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the amount of a single red envelope was as high as 1,000 yuan, covering more than 5 million people, which can be described as "trench gas soaring".
02
Behind the "Million Dollar Gift"
It is an upgrade and attempt by NetEase to the long-term operation of players
Generally speaking, at important nodes such as holidays, game manufacturers will carry out related operational activities inside and outside the game, but more around a single game. It is relatively rare for NetEase to unite its head games and IP to carry out live welfare activities at present.
From the perspective of the manufacturer's brand, the joint head game to carry out operational activities can better output the overall game brand influence. The broadcast of generous benefits has also further narrowed the distance between themselves and players, and enhanced the players' liking for the brand.
In particular, the "red envelope rain" welfare form that runs through the entire live broadcast allows players to participate in welfare activities to the greatest extent, rather than simply "being the denominator". Looking at social platforms such as Weibo and fan groups, many players' evaluations of "Lantern Welfare Night" have mentioned the keyword "red packet".
Such a low-threshold welfare activity has effectively ignited the enthusiasm of players to participate, and even the publicity effect of players' "tap water" has attracted more potential audience participation.
From the perspective of game operation, although the "Lantern Welfare Night" has as many as 20 games and IP gathered together, NetEase has carried out the characteristics of a single game in terms of program design, guest list, welfare prizes, etc., ensuring the experience of different circle groups such as core players and pan-users, which also reflects NetEase's accurate control of brand marketing and player operation.
For example, in terms of program design, the aforementioned "Peach Blossom Smile" dance performance originated from the computer version of the "Journey to the West" "Journey to the West" character song, which is a typical example. Another example is the interactive program "Walnut Accompanies You to Open the Blind Box" launched by "Forever Doom", which also reminds players of the scene of "unboxing" in the game. This program design, which is based on game content, can bring a stronger sense of participation to players.
In terms of welfare prizes, NetEase also "thinks what players think", and the heavy prizes that are taken out hit the needs of the core players of the game. The "Yin and Yang Division X Dragon Soul" ghost cut BJD- Collector Edition handmade sent by "Yin and Yang Division" on the night of the live broadcast has become a hot topic among players.
In addition to exporting brand influence, with the help of the Lantern Festival, the live broadcast activities carried out by NetEase this time also incorporate the ingenuity of promoting traditional folk culture. To put it simply, through high-quality activities and the popularity of its own products, the "Lantern Welfare Night" connects the traditional Lantern Festival with game brands, and successfully plays a positive effect on the social responsibility of games and game manufacturers.
Eating Lantern / Tangyuan is one of the ceremonies for people to celebrate the Lantern Festival, the computer version of "New Qiannu Ghost" launched an interactive program of "Grandma Ziping Sends Tangyuan" in the live broadcast; the "Dream Lantern Lantern Puzzle Meeting" launched by the "Fantasy Journey to the West" mobile game, when the host throws the puzzle to the guests, the player will also say the riddle he guessed through the live bullet screen.
The game's vivid connection to traditional festivals further enhances the emotional resonance of players. While winning great rewards, it's a pleasure to spend the Lantern Festival with tens of millions of players and your favorite games. For example, when "Harry Potter: Magical Awakening" was staged at the "Magical New Year's Ball", the number of live viewers reached 200,000, and the atmosphere of the bullet screen was warm.
Looking back, through such a good-looking, fun and practical "Lantern Welfare Night", we can clearly feel that NetEase has been upgrading and trying to do long-term operations of players.
03
"Perk + Game Derivative"
Or become a new form of player operation for NetEase
Of course, from the player's point of view, in the face of the "Lantern Welfare Night" with colorful programs, rich benefits and low access thresholds, the most intuitive feeling is undoubtedly "NetEase atmosphere and responsibility". It is true that it is necessary to hold activities together with a variety of its own head games, and send out more than one million welfare prizes at a time, which not only tests the ability of game manufacturers to operate in the long term of players, but also tests the determination of game manufacturers to "give back to players".
Looking back, NetEase has always done a good job in terms of original IP and brand ecology. On the one hand, NetEase is still in the stage of continuous harvest of original IP, and the IP value of fist products such as "Yin and Yang Division" and "Fantasy Journey to the West" has already exceeded 10 billion, and under the condition of intensive resource integration, NetEase's game brand value is also constantly appreciating. On the other hand, IP linkage and content marketing are also NetEase's best plays, such as the IP linkage of "Wilderness Action" has repeatedly aroused players' attention and been recognized.
The successful holding of this "Lantern Welfare Night" also allows us to see that NetEase has opened a new attempt in brand and IP shaping. It does not stick to a single game and in-game operation, but expands the scope to more player groups, and brings players a fresh experience through richer forms of out-of-game activities. In other words, this kind of "welfare + game derivative content" activities are likely to become a new bridge for NetEase to maintain players.