Tencent’s cooperation with Nintendo is like a large-scale serial, from the first half of the year, to the first participation in ChinaJoy, the world’s most profitable game company, and the world’s oldest and best-known game company (the A) The cooperation fully embodies what is called “good things and more grinding”.
Finally, on December 4th, the National Bank version of the Switch was officially announced. At this point, the “Three Royals” of the host industry has finally made up in the Chinese market.
What is the difference between the National Bank version?
As shown in the figure, there are four main differences between the National Bank version of the Switch:
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Localized server provides smoother network support
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Nintendo eshop in Chinese supports WeChat payment
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Official warranty of the host, three guarantees for accessories
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The game supports Simplified Chinese, and some localized modifications
Of course, these four points are very general, and there are many details worth mentioning.
First of all, it must be said that the pricing of the National Bank version of the machine is very conscience. The mainframe (enhanced battery life) is priced at 2,099 yuan. It costs 2300 yuan, and this includes a one-year warranty. The same is true for games. The price of 299 yuan is also affordable. The first few games are sold on Taobao and other channels, and the price ranges from 310 to 330 yuan.
As we all know, the left stick shift problem of Switch is ill. If the National Bank version can provide some warranty plans for this problem, then the National Bank version of the service will be very valuable to potential consumers.
But regarding the service, Ma Xiaoyi mentioned at the press conference that all national bank versions of localization services (warranty, server, payment), etc., only support national bank versions of consoles and games. The implication is that overseas versions of machines (also known as parallel imports) cannot enjoy these benefits. The product page of Tmall’s flagship store clearly states that parallel imports cannot enjoy the warranty service provided by the State Bank, nor can it be paid.
As for the domestic version of eshop, the current news is that the National Bank version and WeChat are deeply bound. eshop only supports WeChat account login, only WeChat scan code payment , which means that Overseas Nintendo accounts cannot be logged in on Bank of China machines.
From Nintendo Switch Chinese official website
As for a problem that players are more concerned about, the service strategy of the district, which was not mentioned at the press conference, I simply asked Ma Xiaoyi about this issue in the experience zone, and he did not reply directly.A, I just promise to provide domestic players with a smooth online and gaming experience.
However, the Tmall flagship store ’s answer to this question is that National Bank ’s game cassettes cannot be run on overseas versions of the console. Similarly, overseas cassettes are not guaranteed to operate on National Bank ’s machines. The latter’s free space is slightly larger, but as mentioned earlier, the National Bank version only supports WeChat login, overseas games online, cannot use Nintendo membership services, and cannot download DLC.
Of course, in specific cases, we have to wait until the actual market to conduct actual tests.
Sorry, but still a positive attempt
Due to historical reasons, the development of the Chinese game console market is slow and disconnected from the international market. Console games are still the niche choice in China. The two consoles that have entered the Chinese market before have some adjustments to their operating strategies due to policy restrictions. At present, the entire Chinese console game market is still being explored. The operating strategy of the State Bank Switch may not be destined for one. Both solutions.
The domestic console game market is still a niche. Of course, this can be interpreted from two aspects. You can say that China does not have the soil for console games to survive, and you can also think that this is a promising game.For the blue ocean.
Nintendo’s game concept has always been “family love”, and it is also one of the few adherents in the field of living room games. Tencent’s energy and influence in the Chinese game market is unique. If Nintendo, which has experienced a retreat in the Chinese market, has to find a suitable partner again, there is almost no more suitable and stable option than Tencent.
Tencent Games has undergone a brand upgrade last month, and indeed it can be seen that Tencent Games is gradually expanding its boundaries in these years, whether it is support plans for independent games or hosting agents like today. In short, whether it is for business expansion or brand reputation, Tencent Games is doing something that has a positive impact on the gaming industry.
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Being able to introduce Nintendo, in addition to bringing market benefits to both parties, is more important. Introduces mature game development concepts to the Chinese game industry, helping Chinese developers and game teams to better understand the console game industry. law. As Ma Xiaoyi said, the two sides are also a teacher and friend relationship. Tencent hopes to learn Nintendo’s understanding of gaming and entertainment for a century. Nintendo also learns from Tencent the unique operating strategy of the Chinese market.
The cooperation between the two parties has always been very low-key. Tencent has not done a large-scale warm-up. Several important nodes are released through channels such as official micro-blogs and public accounts. The warm-up rhythm is not intensive. Even this time the media communication will be very mysterious, there is no live broadcast. It can be seen that the two sides (mainly Tencent) hope to make a long journey and make some different attempts in the Chinese host market, rather than withdrawing a wave of money.
Because of many factors, the first step of cooperation between the two parties is regrettable. Players have the right to criticize this. But taking this first step is always a positive attempt.