開發者談跨平臺遊戲趨勢是否對使用者具有重要影響
開發者談跨平臺遊戲趨勢是否對使用者具有重要影響
原作者：Matthew Handrahan 譯者：Willow Wu
對於玩家來說，遊戲是否跨平臺可能沒有業內人士所想的那麼重要。GameTrack 2017年第四季度調查結果顯示，消費者普遍對這一趨勢漠不關心。
在過去一年中，PlayStation、Xbox和PC使用者能夠一起玩遊戲一直是新聞中經常出現的話題。微軟已經把主機-PC跨平臺遊戲列入他們的核心戰略，而索尼則因為明顯牴觸PlayStation-Xbox跨平臺而遭受多方批評。
GameTrack在去年第四季度對來自英國、法國、德國和西班牙的玩家進行調查，詢問他們對於遊戲跨平臺特性的看法。然而有58%的人表示他們對這一趨勢不感興趣，看來跨平臺還沒有得到足夠的關注與重視。
值得注意的是只有8%的人對遊戲行業大力推進跨平臺、移除遊戲平臺之間的屏障表示“非常不看好”，有34%的人則表示非常看好。但是，過半的人還是表示不在乎。
在遊戲行業內，這本身就是個具有爭議的話題，但是這個調查結果確實令人意外。《我的世界》《火箭聯盟》《方舟：生存進化》和《堡壘之夜》等遊戲都是去年討論跨平臺遊戲的焦點，通常是因為索尼沒有興趣讓他們的使用者和Xbox玩家進行聯機。
GameTrack的調查顯示玩家並不認為跨平臺特性是他們選購遊戲主機的重要原因之一。當問到這個功能的出現會不會讓玩家去買之前不會買的遊戲主機時，54%的歐洲玩家表示“可能不會”或“絕對不會”，在這其中有38%的玩家是“絕對不會”。相比之下，只有13%的人表示會。
類似地，有56%的玩家不認為跨平臺功能會促使他們去訂閱相關的主機/PC線上服務，只有13%的人認為他們會。
軟體方面的調查結果也大體一樣：48%的受訪玩家表示他們不會因為跨平臺而去買之前他們不會買的遊戲，17%則表示會。49%的玩家表示這個功能不會增加他們玩網遊的慾望，17%表示會。
微軟Xbox部門總負責人Phil Spencer曾公開表示，他希望Xbox和PlayStation社群能夠實現統一。他還多次就索尼公司的對抗情緒發表公開評論。
他去年說：“我知道有現實中有這樣一種情況：如果我的朋友們買的遊戲主機跟我不一樣，那麼大家就沒辦法一起玩了。這就是其他人選擇購買我用的遊戲主機的原因，而且它在未來也依然還是消費者選購的理由之一。所以我們把玩家規模最大的遊戲之一《我的世界》加入跨平臺計劃，無論玩家使用的是哪種裝置，他們都可以一起玩。
persona-4-rise-2(from gamingpoint)
“我不認為每個人對這個生態系統都會採取同樣的做法，所以我不會斷定某個事情是註定要失敗的，但我認為一些基本的緣由和特定情景，它們會一直存在。我也無法預言以後到底會發生哪些變化。”
無論跨平臺功能是否會影響消費者的購買決定，業內人士都認為不同平臺之間的壁壘很快就會消失。在今年的GDC大會上，Epic公司創始人Tim Sweeney跟GamesIndustry.biz談到了《堡壘之夜》前所未有的跨平臺效能，PC、主機、移動使用者可以一起戰鬥了。
但是Xbox和PlayStation平臺目前還無法實現，Sweeney斬釘截鐵地表示這只是時間問題。
他說:“我認為移除平臺之間的屏障是大勢所趨。遊戲和Facebook、Twitter一樣都是帶有社交性質的產品，但如果玩家連最基本的聯絡朋友都做不到，社交體驗也就沒有意義了。
“對於索尼和微軟來說，想為客戶提供更好的服務就必須對他們（真實世界）的朋友實現完全開放，不然的話他們就是在分裂這些社交團體。這就好比是學校中平日裡總是玩在一起的孩子們。你希望看到他們因為平臺問題而不得不分成兩組，無法在一起玩嗎？肯定不會的，現在我們就是要解決這個事。
“剩下的這一堵牆必然也會被拆掉。”
本文由遊戲邦編譯，轉載請註明來源，或諮詢微信zhengjintiao
Cross-platform play may not be as important to gamers as many in the industry believe, with the results from GameTrack’s Q4 2017 survey showing a general indifference to the trend among consumers.
The value of PlayStation, Xbox and PC owners being able to play together has been a regular feature in the news over the last 12 months. Microsoft has made cross-platform play between console and PC a core feature of its first-party strategy, while Sony has been widely criticised for its apparent reluctance to allow cross-platform functionality between PlayStation and Xbox.
However, in a GameTrack survey that spanned gamers in the UK, France, Germany and Spain in Q4 of last year, a question presented by GamesIndustry.biz revealed a lack of belief in the value of gamers playing together across platforms: when asked about their feelings on cross-platform play in general, 58% of respondents admitted to being “Indifferent” to the trend.
It’s worth noting that only 8% felt either “Fairly Negative” or “Very Negative” about the industry’s current push towards tearing downs the barriers around gaming platforms, and a total of 34% saw it as Fairly or Very Positive thing overall. But, ultimately, the largest number of respondents weren’t moved in either direction.
This is a surprising outcome for what has proved to be a divisive issue within the industry. Minecraft, Rocket League, Ark: Survival Evolved and Fortnite, among others, have all been the focus of debate around cross-platform play at some point in the last year, often due to Sony’s clear lack of interest in allowing its customers to play with Xbox owners.
The GameTrack Q4 survey shows that cross-platform play is not an important factor in how gamers think about purchasing consoles, though. When presented with the idea that it would make them more likely to buy a console they might not otherwise, 54% of respondents in Europe either Slightly or Strongly disagreed, with 38% disagreeing Strongly. That’s compared to just 13% who agreed with the statement.
Similarly, 56% disagreed to some extent that cross-platform play would make them more likely to subscribe to a console or computer’s online service – compared to 13% who agreed.
The same trend was evident in statements about software: 48% of respondents disagreed that cross-platform play would be an incentive to buy a game they otherwise might not, versus 17% who agreed; and 49% of respondents disagreed that cross-platform functionality would make them more likely to play online than they currently do, compared to 17% who agreed.
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has been open about his desire to unite the disparate communities on Xbox and PlayStation, and has publicly commented on Sony’s reluctance to agree – both directly and indirectly – on several occasions.
“I know there is a certain view that says if my friends have this console, they can’t play with people who buy another console. That’s a reason they go buy my console,” he said last year. “That reason is not going to go away. So we’re putting Minecraft out there as one of the biggest games on any platform and allowing people to play together regardless of what device they bought.
“I don’t think everybody is taking that same approach to the ecosystem. So I’m never going to call anything a lost cause, but I think some of the fundamental reasons and certain scenarios, they’re not really going away. So I don’t know what would change.”
Whether cross-platform play has the potential to influence purchasing decisions among consumers or not, there is a view within the industry that dissolution of the barriers between platforms will happen soon. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at GDC this year, Epic’s Tim Sweeney talked about the unprecedented levels of cross-platform integration in Fortnite – which allows people to play the same game on console, PC and mobile.
The only platforms that don’t allow it are Xbox and PlayStation, but Sweeney was unequivocal in his belief that it is only a matter of time before they seek and establish common ground.
“I think it’s inevitable now,” he says. “Games have become social experiences in the same way that Facebook or Twitter have, and these experiences only really make sense if gamers can communicate with all of their friends.
“For Sony and Microsoft to support their customers well they have to be open to all their customers’ friends – their real world friends – otherwise they’re breaking up real-world social groups. Like kids in school have their friends, and do you expect this platform schism to divide them into two separate groups that can’t play together? No. It’s got to come together now.
“That one remaining barrier will inevitably come down.”(source: ofollow,noindex" target="_blank">gameindustry.biz )