CATDOLL: The domestic animation industry chain is struggling to develop, but games may become a new hope

The animation industry chain is developing with difficulty

In 2013, the total output value of my country's animation industry reached 87.085 billion yuan, and is expected to reach 100 billion yuan in 2014. It seems to be a very gratifying data, but the market has not yet formed a complete industrial chain.

The complete animation industry chain includes "production of film and television animations - broadcasting and screening by TV stations and cinemas - publishing and distribution of animation books - distribution of audio-visual products - authorization of copyright - development and marketing of derivative products". In animation-developed countries, the development of derivative products has become the main force of the market. 70% of the global animation industry's output value comes from derivative products, and the annual output value of animation products and derivative products in the United States reaches more than 5 billion US dollars.

Although my country has produced excellent cartoons for a long time, they have not produced derivative products, which makes the animation industry in a low-end state. Animation is only a one-way output, lacking timely and effective feedback, and there is not enough interaction between producers and consumers. The difficulty of making profits in animation ultimately leads to the sluggish development of the industry. In addition, due to the prevalence of piracy, the number of original animation masterpieces in my country is very small. At present, the relevant government support policies are basically aimed at animation works, and there are few derivative products involved, which has also frustrated the enthusiasm of manufacturers to a certain extent.

Kuiba

For example, when "Kuiba" was released, the Douban movie score remained above 8 points until the 13th, but the box office on the first day of its release was only 1.35 million. Today, when Chinese films have entered the billion-yuan era, it is obviously not a success.

Since the box office is worrying, what about the peripheral products?

Before the release of Kuiba 1, Qingqingshu had already developed related products, including comics and some peripheral product designs, as well as a book called The Book of Kuiba that explains the entire worldview of the Kuiba series. But when they took these to communicate with peripheral partners, people were not convinced. Because before anime products become famous, they can only rely on advertising placement. Only after they become famous can they make profits from peripheral products.

The dilemma faced by Kuiba also reflects the current situation of most Chinese cartoons. Regardless of whether they are good enough, they have to face the lack of an animation industry chain. Wang Chuan of Qingqingshu once said: "After working with the agents of those peripheral products, we found that their designers were even less capable than our own designers. I threw their design plans on the table and said, 'You dare to show us this again?' Those agents were green-eyed."

New definition of animation derivatives: games

My name is MT

In 2009, the online animation "My Name is MT", which was based on the classic online game "World of Warcraft", became popular among netizens; in 2011, the comic "My Name is MT" began to sell well in major bookstores, and various related animation dolls also gradually became popular in the market; in early 2013, "My Name is MT online" produced by Joyo Games was officially released as a mobile version. 11 hours later, this anime-licensed product rose to the top of the iPhone paid game rankings. In the following year, the game has set off a popular trend of mobile card games with its impressive achievements of tens of millions of registered users and millions of active users.

This is a classic success story that makes more people realize that the combination of animation and games can bring new vitality.

Lilith, the manufacturer of Dota Legend, and Qingqingshu Animation, the producer of Kuiba, jointly established Chris Animation Technology Co., Ltd. in Beijing, aiming to break the development constraints of the existing game industry and animation industry, and to combine the advantages of two powerful platforms to create the most valuable IP for game development; Huaqiang Digital Animation, which is entering the mobile game market, has already successfully opened up many peripheral markets, such as animation theme parks, animation character dolls, etc. The derivative products of these peripheral markets can also be the most powerful promotion for its animation game "Boonie Bears" to enter the mobile game market.

The combination of animation and games will produce a strong chemical reaction, create a new industrial chain, and form a complementary sales cycle. In this cycle, games may be the peripheral market of animation products, but animation can also be seen as the peripheral market of games. It can be said that "you are in me, I am in you".

Focus on CAWAE and build a comprehensive animation service platform in China

As the largest game exhibition in Asia, ChinaJoy attracted 250,000 participants last year. At ChinaJoy 2014, the CAWAE venue was divided into animation brand display and authorization area, high-end toy display area, derivative peripheral sales area and ChinaJoy Cosplay Carnival Finals. Exhibitors included animation companies, comic companies, film and television companies, individual animation creators, derivative companies, as well as publishers, distributors, channel providers, animation production technology providers, animation performance companies, toy companies, product agents, investment institutions, animation education and training institutions, etc. It is committed to providing a platform for communication, display and copyright business cooperation for Chinese and foreign animation, comics and related industries, and it is also a show for Chinese and foreign animation enthusiasts and Cosers to fully display their personalities and gather with their peers.

Last year, Hasbro, a famous American toy company, also participated in this exhibition. According to incomplete statistics, Hasbro has been at the forefront of the animation derivatives industry through Transformers toys, animations and animation derivatives. The rich integrated marketing experience has also given great inspiration to domestic manufacturers.

This year, ChinaJoy will once again focus on the Chinese animation industry, and CAWAE will be held as scheduled. The exhibition hall layout will continue to be used as last year, and the industry's superior resources will be concentrated to provide a broader platform and high-quality publicity resources for animation and derivative companies. Let more animation companies find development opportunities that suit them and create a full-function animation service platform.