＂Shuangxiong＂ dark war strategy game market, a war that no one can afford to lose.

After two years, the game war between Netease and Ali started again.

On the one hand, Netease published a "good news", and the court ruled in the first instance that "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" constituted copyright infringement and compensated 50 million yuan. On the other hand, the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" shouted from a distance: The game will continue to operate normally and appeal.

Screenshot of "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition".

As both giants in the field of game market strategy, the grievances and disputes between the two major game IPS have been long. Friction and conflict between them have been buried deep in the hearts of the two families like mines.

As early as 2015, Netease launched "Land of the Land". In 2019, Ali’s Linxi Entertainment launched the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition". In the following four years, the two games fought hand-to-hand in the strategy game market, vying for player resources, aiming to dominate the segmentation field.

"The compensation of 50 million yuan is not only the highest amount of compensation for copyright infringement of strategic games at present, but also may have a great impact on the future development of the game market and the research and development direction of manufacturers." Ma Jing, an observer of the game industry, told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter.

Winner means "Qian Jing" is vast. According to the gamma data report, the market size of head SLG (strategy game) will be close to 20 billion yuan in 2021. At the same time, the head effect of SLG category games has become more and more obvious in recent years. In 2024, the domestic SLG market will be able to break through the 40 billion mark.

Screenshot of Netease’s "Land of the Land".

Stand on the "ring"

"The court of first instance ruled that The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition constituted copyright infringement, ordered the other party to delete or modify the infringing content within 30 days from the date when this judgment became legally effective, and ordered the other party to compensate our company for 50 million yuan within 10 days from the date when this judgment became legally effective." Recently, Netease’s game "The Coast of the Land" was released, said Weibo.

Soon, the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" also said in Weibo that "Netease’s request to stop the game was rejected according to law". At the same time, he said that the game will continue to operate normally, and some of the contents of the judgment will not be recognized and an appeal will be filed.

The two games went to court, which originated from Netease Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd., the producer of "The Coast of the Land" in 2021, accusing Guangzhou Jian Yue Information Technology Co., Ltd., the producer of "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition", of "copyright infringement and unfair competition" and bringing a lawsuit to the court. In two years, the court finally made a first-instance judgment.

This is not the first time that "The Coast of the Land" has filed a lawsuit against "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition", and even the predecessor of the game publisher has a close relationship with Netease.

According to public information, Guangzhou Jianyue Game Company, as the publisher of "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition", was founded by Zhan Zhonghui, the former Netease COO, and was wholly-owned by Alibaba in 2017. Subsequently, the Jian Yue team changed its name to Linxi Entertainment and became an independent business group under Alibaba Group.

The dispute between the two sides can be traced back to April 2020. At that time, it was difficult for a large number of users to go online at the same time in the game "Land of the Land". At first, this incident was ignored by the outside world. Then, on a live broadcast platform, two users made a number of dissatisfied remarks about the players, which led netizens to think that the game project team members accused the players. Later, it was upgraded to the topic of "The people of the project team of" The Land of the Land "angered the players".

A few days later, the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" advertising service company launched a number of "2020" on multiple platforms, and even the game project team operated the players? Who gave the courage "and other advertising materials for copywriting content. Netease filed a lawsuit to the court. In February 2022, Guangzhou Tianhe Court made a first-instance judgment on this case and found that the defendant constituted commercial slander.

In addition to disputes, the two sides have also confronted each other many times on "plagiarism".

In October, 2020, "The Coast of the Land" released a video publicly questioning that "The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" was suspected of plagiarism in many aspects such as gameplay mechanism and animation, and gave the news that the court had filed a case. However, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition responded that there was no plagiarism.

The "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" has also given a corresponding counterattack. According to public information, Linxi Entertainment once brought Netease to court on the grounds of unfair competition disputes, copyright infringement disputes and network infringement liability disputes (reputation rights disputes).

"I feel that the two games do have similarities in the gameplay mechanism, but they are certainly not exactly the same." Player Liu Ke told the Shell Finance reporter, "In fact, the similar gameplay in the game market is mostly similar, such as MOBA (multiplayer online tactical competition) games, and the gameplay is basically similar. At the moment when the game breaks out, it is difficult to find two similar games that are exactly the same or completely different. "

"The reason why this incident was so concerned by the outside world. The compensation from 50 million yuan is not only the highest amount of compensation for copyright infringement of strategic games at present, but also may have a great impact on the future development of the game market and the research and development direction of manufacturers. " Ma Jing told Shell Finance reporter that "the judgment may trigger a copyright storm in the industry. Not only strategy games, but even in other categories, similar games that are subsequently launched may have potential infringement risks, and even the game system needs to be overthrown and redone. "

Seize the top spot in strategy games

As Liu Ke’s fingers slide, a group of cavalry slowly set out for the enemy country on the mobile phone map. After a few minutes, the system prompts you to encounter resistance from the other side. With a burst of swords and swords, the system once again prompts that victory has been achieved, and part of the other party’s resources have been successfully owned.

Liu Ke is playing an SLG (strategy game) game. In the game, he plays the role of commander, builds the city according to the map and resource management, and at the same time develops in a competitive strategy, tactics or alliance with other players, or competes for resources with each other.

According to public information, SLG games appeared many years ago. In the 1980s, Japanese game maker Glory Company successively launched games such as Kawanaka Island Battle and Nobunaga’s Wild Hope, bringing strategy games into the global player market. The "Civilization" game series that appeared in the 1990s pushed this game to a climax.

After entering 2010, with the transfer of the game platform to the mobile terminal, a variety of strategic games have emerged in the domestic mobile game market.

Interestingly, the story background of these games is mostly based on the Three Kingdoms period.

"The high popularity of the Three Kingdoms makes players familiar with the game background and general attributes. In addition, the historical background of’ standing side by side’ also fits the style of strategy games. " A domestic game manufacturer analyzed to Shell Finance reporter.

In October 2015, Netease, which saw the opportunity, officially launched "The Coast of the Land".

At this time, there are many strategy games on the market, and most of them use the background of the Three Kingdoms. The serious homogenization has caused no game to maintain its popularity for a long time. Naturally, "Land of the Land" was not favored by the outside world at the initial stage of its launch.

Unexpectedly, the game quickly became popular in the market with its novel gameplay and content, and even soared to the top 10 on the iOS download list, vaguely holding the first position of strategy games.

"During that time, many friends around me were addicted to games. Every day, I discuss how to arrange troops and how to attack the city. " Player Lin He recalled to Shell Finance reporter.

Just as "The Coast of the Land" is in the limelight in the market, the biggest opponent is quietly coming.

In September 2019, Ali’s Linxi Entertainment launched the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition", which is also based on the theme of the Three Kingdoms and also focuses on strategic style.

Although the admission time was late, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition swung a sword and cut into the market with "genuine authorization".

As early as 1985, Glorious Company launched the "History of the Three Kingdoms" game, and has since updated several generations of versions. In that era of end-tour, almost all young people who like strategy games have played this series of games, and the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" was authorized by its IP when it was developed.

With the authorization of genuine IP and the support of producers, The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition has attracted the attention of many players. In addition to the new players who have arrived at the news, there are many old players who have switched to the camp. With the growing number of players, "The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" came from behind and quickly caught up with "The Land of the Land".

A battle about the strategy game market is naturally inevitable.

Close combat:Star playerTake goods and rob players

Game between games, player resources become the core. The quickest way is to "buy".

The so-called buying volume means that the game is exposed in all major channels by buying traffic, so as to guide players to download and register the game.

In fact, after the publication of The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition, a lot of resources have been invested in publicity. Large-scale investment in exchange for high-frequency exposure. In an interview, many players told Shell Finance reporter that for a long time, the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" could be seen on various social platforms almost at any time.

In addition to overwhelming advertisements, the game also invited many star players to experience it, so as to attract powder by celebrity effect.

On the anniversary of the game in 2020, when Hugh appeared in the official live broadcast room, fans immediately poured in. When he shared his understanding of the game, he not only attracted fans’ curiosity about the game, but also won the resonance and recognition of the players.

"I have always been a fan of Hugh, and I learned that idols also became interested in it after playing this game." Player Wang Lei said, "Once you try, you will completely’ into the pit’, not only playing for a while every day, but also making many friends in the game."

After a combination of boxing, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition quickly gained a foothold in the market. According to seven wheat data, since its launch, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition has been stable in the iOS bestseller list TOP5 for a long time.

The opponent has a strong performance in the market and is seen in the eyes of "The Coast of the Land".

In the process of development for many years, "Land of the Land" has also chosen to buy more to increase its exposure, and has also held hands with star players to create momentum for the game.

In an activity, Go champion Ke Jie once showed his status as an old player, and said that even if the game was frequent, he would take time out to experience the game. Actor Yu Hewei served as the "tasting officer" of the game, and the joint game set off a craze for game video in bilibili.

"The star players invited by both sides are not traffic stars, and they all have strong cultural symbols." Ma Jing told Shell Finance reporter that "Hugh once played a resourceful role in nirvana in fire, while Yu Hewei played many versions of the TV series" The Three Kingdoms ",and their help fit the connotation of the game itself" strategy ".

In addition to the traditional advertising competition, the two sides have also played "cultural cards" to show their "orthodox" position in strategy games.

In 2020, "Land of the Rate" held "Land of the Rate College: Game Thesis Competition", and invited teachers from universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua as judges. According to public data, more than 4,800 college students participated in the team and produced more than 2,700 papers.

The "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" chose to spread the "Three Kingdoms Culture" in hand with the museum. Also in 2020, the game joined hands with more than 40 cultural and cultural institutions to select more than 170 groups of precious historical relics to launch the "Special Exhibition on Cultural Themes of the Three Kingdoms", so that players and cultural lovers can get a close look at the history of the Three Kingdoms.

In 2022, The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition and ten domestic museums jointly launched the "Three Kingdoms Tale Man Plan", inviting museum directors, experts and scholars to give professional explanations on the cultural relics of the Three Kingdoms, and at the same time inviting the audience to act as "cultural relics commentators" to record commentaries for the cultural relics, so as to promote the history and culture of the Three Kingdoms.

"The Coast of the Land" is naturally not to be outdone. In 2023, it announced that it would cooperate with Luoyang dingding gate Museum to record the historical records of players’ battles in the game into the museum, so that players can also feel the glory of "dominating the world" outside the game.

"As a game with a historical background, combining traditional culture not only gives fans a sense of identity, but also gains social recognition, thus making the game more familiar to more people." Ma Jingru analyzed and said.

The market broke out,The game has become“Cash cow"

The two game companies are killing each other, aiming at the monopoly in the segmentation field. After all, at the moment when the strategy game market breaks out, the head position is directly related to the game income.

According to the "Analysis Report on the Trend and Potential of China Game Industry in 2022" released by Gamma Data, the head SLG (strategy game) market will be close to 20 billion yuan in 2021. At the same time, in recent years, the head effect of SLG category games has become more and more obvious. In 2021, the products with the highest water flow gathered nearly half of the head SLG products. According to the data of China Commercial Industry Research Institute, in 2024, the domestic SLG market can break through the 40 billion mark.

The hot market is bound to benefit many game manufacturers. In order to expand IP popularity, manufacturers have joined forces with other brands across borders to attract more players in the circle.

Liu Ke was deeply impressed. He once saw the advertisement of "The Coast of the Land" on various social platforms. Even when he was chasing the drama, he saw the game advertisement exposed in the film. "At that time, I was watching" The Wind Rises in Longxi ". There are advertisements for games in the film. However, because each other is the content of the theme of the Three Kingdoms, they don’t feel abrupt, but they have an inexplicable sense of fit. "

"I often see cross-border advertisements of games." Another player, Han An, told the Shell Finance reporter that as a fan of "Land of the Land", he not only saw the games jointly signed with brands such as Zhang Fei Beef, L ‘Oreal and LU ZHOU LAO JIAO CO.,LTD, but also specially placed orders to buy related products. "Things in different fields create joint names, and there is an impulse to buy them home for collection."

In fact, the cross-border joint name of the "Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition" also does not lose opponents.

In September, 2020, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition announced that it had jointly held an offline anniversary celebration called "Hot Pot Heroes Club" with Haidilao, inviting 10,000 players to eat hot pot for free in Haidilao in 39 cities across the country. In addition, the game also launched cooperative products with brands such as Box Horse and Prizm Star Card.

During the period of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in 2022, The Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition sponsored the Argentine national team, which not only became its "designated mobile game", but also invited Leandro Peterson, the brand director of the Argentine Football Association, and several players of the Argentine team to personally promote the game. With Argentina winning the World Cup, the game IP is also known by more players.

Cross-border co-branding has benefited "The Coast of the Land" and "The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition". In addition to making profits, the game has also attracted the attention of players from different circles.

Sensor Tower data shows that in April 2023, China App Store mobile game revenue ranking, The History of the Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition ranked fourth, second only to the glory of the king, Peace Elite and The Original God. According to Appmagic data, in 2022, the revenue of Land on the Coast was 161 million US dollars (about 1.13 billion yuan), and the revenue of Three Kingdoms Strategic Edition was 829 million US dollars (about 5.84 billion yuan).

"The continuous expansion of market segments will inevitably bring more powerful gold absorption capabilities." Ma Jing said, "After all, similar background setting and similar gameplay decide that both sides are under pressure to compete for the same market and user groups. In the case that everyone wants to be a’ brother’, the competition is naturally more intense. "

Beijing News Shell Financial Reporter Tan Che

Editor Wang Jinyu

Proofread Lin Zhao