索尼為什么要賣網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲部門
本周一，索尼將其網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲部門賣給了紐約一家名為Columbus Nova的投資管理公司，交易金額并未披露。索尼在線娛樂公司(SOE)現(xiàn)改名為黎明游戲公司。該公司總裁約翰o史沫特萊將繼續(xù)留任，其研發(fā)團(tuán)隊(duì)也將保留不動。
Why would Sony SNE 10.90% ditch its in-house game maker? Because it’s no longer astrategic asset for Sony, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. Thecompany, which launched in 1996 as part of Sony’s 989 Studios, was built to develop and runsubscription-based massively multiplayer online, or MMO, games. In recent years, the onlinevideo game industry has transitioned to a free-to-play business model requiring game makersto give the games away and generate revenue through in-game micro-transactions. Few gamepublishers outside of Activision Blizzard ATVI -0.65% with itsWorld of Warcraft franchise havebeen able to maintain a subscription model with all the free online competition.
索尼為什么要拋棄自家的游戲開發(fā)部門?韋德布什證券公司分析師邁克爾o帕切認(rèn)為，對于索尼來說，它已經(jīng)不再是一筆戰(zhàn)略資產(chǎn)。這家公司成立于1996年，是索尼旗下989家工作室的一份子，主要開發(fā)和運(yùn)行大型多玩家在線游戲(MMO)。近年來，在線視頻游戲行業(yè)已經(jīng)過渡到一種免費(fèi)的業(yè)務(wù)模式，游戲開發(fā)商需要先給玩家免費(fèi)提供游戲，然后通過游戲內(nèi)的各種小交易來盈利。除了暴雪公司出品的《魔獸世界》之外，很少有其他游戲制作商能夠在眾多免費(fèi)網(wǎng)游的圍剿中繼續(xù)維系訂購模式。
“Unfortunately, free-to-play is growing most rapidly on phones and tablets, and SOE wasn’tthere because those aren’t really core Sony products,” Pachter says. “SOE didn’t support anyof Sony’s consumer electronics businesses, so it was easy to sell.”
帕切表示：“不幸的是，免費(fèi)增值模式在智能手機(jī)和平板電腦上增長得最快，而SOE并沒有進(jìn)入移動領(lǐng)域，因?yàn)檫@類游戲算不上是索尼的核心產(chǎn)品。SOE對索尼的任何消費(fèi)電子業(yè)務(wù)都形不成支持，所以它很容易被賣掉。”
Pachter believes that Sony was approached by Columbus Nova, which has over $15 billion ofassets through its own funds and affiliated portfolio companies, without it having to shoparound the business. Sony likely got a fair amount for the division, he adds, though none of theanalysts interviewed by Fortune for this story were able to provide even a ballpark figure forthe price that Columbus Nova may have paid. All of the analysts agreed, however, that theadditional cash will help Sony increase its investment in higher priority areas of the company.
帕切相信，應(yīng)該是Columbus Nova公司主動聯(lián)系索尼，洽談這筆收購業(yè)務(wù)。這家投資管理公司通過旗下的基金和投資的企業(yè)，總共掌握著150億美元的資產(chǎn)。他還認(rèn)為，索尼很可能賣了一個(gè)好價(jià)錢，但《財(cái)富》記者采訪的幾位分析師都無法提供這筆交易的大致價(jià)格。但所有分析師都認(rèn)為，這筆錢將有助于索尼加大向公司內(nèi)部其它更重要領(lǐng)域的投資。
The sale of SOE does not remove Sony from the online games business entirely. Though thedivision represented a large portion of Sony’s online revenue, the company remains active indigital goods through its PlayStation 4 console, says EEDAR analyst Sartori Bernbeck.
EEDAR公司分析師薩爾多里o伯恩貝克表示，賣掉SOE并不等于索尼徹底放棄網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲業(yè)務(wù)。雖然該公司貢獻(xiàn)了索尼在線業(yè)務(wù)相當(dāng)大的一部分收益，但它的活躍范圍也僅限于索尼的PlayStation 4游戲機(jī)。
“It’s likely that this move illustrates Sony’s focus on doubling down on its effort to promoteand grow its first party platforms as a primary concern over continuing PC development,”Bernbeck says. “We at EEDAR expect Sony to continue to grow and develop their digital andonline efforts on first party platforms with continued titles that take advantage of onlineservices and new business models such as free-to-play games.”
“完成這筆交易后，索尼很可能將以更大的力度推動和發(fā)展它的第一方平臺，對其重視程度恐怕將超過拓展PC業(yè)務(wù)，” 伯恩貝克說。“我們EEDAR公司認(rèn)為，索尼將繼續(xù)在其第一平臺上發(fā)展數(shù)碼和在線業(yè)務(wù)，并利用免費(fèi)增值等在線服務(wù)和新的業(yè)務(wù)模式繼續(xù)推出新游戲。”
At an event in Las Vegas in December, Sony’s internal San Diego Studios debuted its firstfree-to-play game, Kill Strain, which pits teams of five verses two verses five players in shootingaction. Sony plans to announce other free games at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles in June.
去年12月，在拉斯維加斯的一場活動上，索尼旗下的圣地亞哥工作室推出它的首款免費(fèi)增值游戲《KillStrain》，這是一款“5V2V5”的多人對戰(zhàn)射擊游戲。索尼還計(jì)劃在今年六月的洛杉磯E3展會上繼續(xù)推出其它免費(fèi)游戲。
The sale of SOE this month echoes another strategic divestment from a year ago: the sale ofSony’s Vaio PC business to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners. In that deal, Sonysought to move away from the declining PC business and toward the booming smartphoneand tablet business. Sony Online Entertainment showed its corporate parent that it couldmake successful games—DC Universe Online, Planetside 2—for the PlayStation 4 and not justthe PC. Now it can follow that blueprint on its own.
索尼本月賣掉SOE，與一年前的另一次資產(chǎn)剝離遙相呼應(yīng)：一年前，索尼將Vaio電腦業(yè)務(wù)賣給了投資基金日本產(chǎn)業(yè)合作伙伴公司。通過這筆交易，索尼擺脫了江河日下的PC業(yè)務(wù)，邁進(jìn)了蓬勃發(fā)展的智能手機(jī)和平板電腦市場。SOE公司已經(jīng)向索尼展示了它有能力為PlayStation 4和PC平臺制作成功的游戲產(chǎn)品，比如《DC漫畫英雄在線》、《星際2》等等?，F(xiàn)在，它只能獨(dú)立追尋自己的夢想了。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
