According to foreign media reports, Microsoft’s intention to invest in local game developers in China has become stronger. On the one hand, it hopes to collect more high-quality products for its subscription system, and on the other hand, it does not want to miss high-quality domestic games. Of course, such a big move The reason is to compete with old rival Sony.
Over the years, Microsoft and Sony have had a clear understanding of the product side, and they have continued to provide funds to small developers, cultivate new products and authorize project development, while locking in distribution channels and many other operations.
However, after the cooperation between Sony and Mihayou “Yuanshen” created extremely considerable profits, Microsoft began to become more anxious and anxious, and some relevant people said that around the early development of “Yuanshen”, they had cooperated with Mi Hayou talked, but in the end no agreement was reached.
In 2019, Sony and Mihayou “Yuanshen” reached a cooperation, so until now, the console version of “Yuanshen” has only landed on the PlayStation platform. At that time, Yoshida Shuhei, who was then president of Sony Global Studios in Japan, often visited the demo area of ”Genshin Impact” at major exhibitions, and said on Twitter that “Genshin Impact is one of his most anticipated games in 2020.” .
Later, “Genshin Impact” also collaborated with Sony’s Yifang Studio to launch the “Genshin Impact” version of the protagonist Eloy of “Horizon: Zero Dawn” for all players. In 2021, “Genshin Impact” also won two major annual Sony awards, the “PlayStation Partner Awards 2021 GRAND AWARD” and the “PlayStation Game Music Award (2nd place in the Game Music Award).”
A lot of cooperation, and the rising achievements, finally made Microsoft unable to sit still.
What is more noteworthy is that Microsoft’s move reflects that in the game field, China is transitioning from a pure consumer market to a highland of game development. Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at game industry research firm Niko Partners, believes that many European and American countries are interested in Chinese games. It is increasing, and we can clearly see the progress of Chinese game development. Chinese game developers are exploring how to build efficient and fast production processes, take into account standards and innovative development tools, and manage a large-scale team of talents. These efforts will help them gain greater advantages in the global market and gain a wide audience in different regions and platforms.
According to multiple industry sources, Microsoft has built a team to search for Chinese game products, and has spent a lot of money to sign some independent studios, not only on console platforms, and the expansion of PC and handheld subscription services is also part of Microsoft’s plan. middle.
Microsoft spent $2.5 million to promote the action game “Ark: Survival Evolved” on XGP and $2.3 million for its sequel “Ark 2,” both from Chinese Snail Games, according to Microsoft’s filings. Its American developer Wildcard Studios.
Of course, compared to Sony, Microsoft still has a long way to go to catch up. As early as 2017, Sony launched the “China Star Project”, which aims to support Chinese developers to release games on PlayStation consoles. So far, a total of 17 works have been released, 7 of which are already on the shelves.
However, Microsoft is indeed accelerating. For example, in June this year, it announced that “Eternal Calamity” joined XGP, and in October joined XGP’s “Dyson Sphere Project”. Microsoft’s future is even more worth looking forward to.