游戏外设的春天来了？雷蛇估值超过10亿美元

    你听说过雷蛇公司（Razer）吗？

    除了狂热的游戏玩家，大多数人可能没听说过，但大家应该了解一下。这家公司总部位于加利福尼亚州卡尔斯巴德市，主要做视频游戏周边产品，投资人对该公司的估值已达到10亿美元，因此它也在《财富》“独角兽公司榜”上拥有一席之地。近年来，该公司的增长势头非常迅猛，已经从传统的鼠标、键盘等控制设备杀入了虚拟现实、“微主机”和基于安卓移动操作系统的可穿戴设备等领域。它也由此成为微软等大公司的主要收购目标之一。

    在视频游戏界，雷蛇是全行业最知名的品牌之一。Newzoo公司视频游戏分析师彼得•沃尔曼预测，雷蛇2014年的营收估计在2.5到3亿美元之间。沃尔曼表示，凭借雷蛇2011年从IDG-Accel中国成长基金，以及最近从英特尔资本获得的融资，“他们现在已拥有足够的资金，完全可以在保障原有业务的同时发展新业务。”

    雷蛇公司是罗伯特•卡拉克夫和陈民亮于1998年共同创立的，该公司主要向不被传统科技公司重视的游戏发烧友提供游戏鼠标等电脑配件。游戏研究公司Eedar的分析师艾德•赵指出，雷蛇如今已经占据全球游戏鼠标和键盘市场约30%的份额。他预测称，去年北美地区的游戏周边产品的销售额超过了21亿美元。

    雷蛇获得如此高的估值，很可能是该公司与中国互联网巨头腾讯公司缔结战略合作伙伴关系的结果。此项合作使得雷蛇能够将中国时下最流行的消息应用——微信集成到它的Nabu手环中。Nabu手环是雷蛇为吸引游戏发烧友以外的用户而做出的一次重大努力。

    沃尔曼表示：“在过去15年里，雷蛇在游戏圈里已经建立起了几乎是‘圣杯’级别的品牌形象。另外，相对于其他竞争对手，该公司的一个重大优势就是它的产品范围——除了游戏机和PC周边产品外，还包括游戏专用笔记本。雷蛇一直鼓励用户协同使用它们的软件和硬件，因此他们与用户的关系也更加持续。正是凭借这一重要资产，雷蛇正在将产品范畴扩展至平板电脑游戏机、智能手环和开源虚拟现实平台等领域。这些服务能够为雷蛇开启一套全新的业务模式。”

    沃尔曼相信，雷蛇对游戏发烧友的跨平台吸引力，非常适合微软这样的潜在收购者，后者正计划推出一款搭载Windows 10系统的PC游戏机。此外，雷蛇的开源虚拟现实平台也可能让微软产生兴趣。

    雷蛇公司CEO陈民亮则认为，公司的独立性是成功的必要因素。雷蛇公司在美国、欧洲和亚洲共设立了10个办事处，拥有400余名员工。“不管是作为一个大企业的一部分，还是独立运营，最重要的是雷蛇作为一个品牌代表的是什么。我认为（是否被收购）并不重要，重要的是雷蛇人能否继续集中精力取悦我们的用户，并超越他们的高预期。”

    虽然面临着来自罗技科技、美加狮、Corsair和赛睿等竞争对手的竞争，但雷蛇将自己看成了一家做平台的公司，而不是一个纯粹的产品制造企业。即便是这样，雷蛇依然是行业的龙头老大：目前雷蛇是全球最大的游戏键盘与鼠标制造商，在竞争异常激烈的游戏耳机市场上也是一路领跑，将Turtle Beach、Astro Gaming、Polk和HyperX等竞争对手远远甩在了身后。

    陈民亮表示：“其他公司要么卖硬件，要么卖软件，而我们软硬件都卖。我们把软硬件整合得非常好。你到Facebook、Twitter或微信上看看就会发现，我们是全球领先的游戏周边品牌。这些年来，游戏已经成了一种规模庞大的亚文化。另外我们并非只是行业的参与者，我们更注重推动核心技术，而不是简单地在中国制造什么东西。”

    Have you heard of Razer?

    Most people that aren’t avid gamers haven’t—but they should. Investors now value the Carlsbad, Calif. video game accessories company at $1 billion, securing it a place onFortune‘s Unicorn List. The company has been on a tear lately, recently expanding beyond mice, keyboards, and other controllers into virtual reality and “micro-consoles” and wearables built on Google’s Android mobile operating system. With winds at its back, it’s a prime target for acquisition by a large company like Microsoft MSFT 3.11% .

    In the video game world, Razer is among the most well-known brands in the business. Peter Warman, a video game analyst at Newzoo, estimates the company’s 2014 revenues to be between $250 and $300 million. With its raised funds—from IDG-Accel China Capital Fund in 2011 and Intel Capital more recently—“they now have the cash to grow these new businesses without losing focus on where they came from,” Warman says.

    Robert Krakoff and Min-Liang Tan founded Razer in 1998 to introduce accessories such as gaming mice to an audience that was being ignored by traditional technology companies. Today, Razer accounts for approximately 30% of the global video game mouse and keyboard business, according to Ed Zhao, an analyst at video game research firm Eedar. Zhao estimates overall North American video game accessories sales exceeded $2.1 billion last year.

    But its enormous valuation is likely a product of the company’s high-profile partnership with Tencent in China, which will allow it to integrate WeChat, the Chinese company’s popular messaging service, into its Nabu wrist bands, which are intended for a broad audience beyond hardcore gamers.

    “Razer has an almost ‘cult status’ brand image that it has built up over the past 15 years,” Warman says. “What also sets it apart from most competitors is the range of products that includes both console and PC peripherals, as well as gaming laptops. Razer has always been motivated to use its software with its products, giving them a more continuous relationship with their users. This is an important asset in the broadening of their product portfolio into tablet controllers, smart bands, and the Open Source Virtual Reality platform. These services could open up completely new business models for Razer.”

    Warman believes Razer’s cross-platform focus on gaming enthusiasts could be a good fit for an acquirer like Microsoft, which plans to introduce a PC-console game offering with Windows 10. The OSVR platform may also be of interest to the folks in Redmond.

    Tan, Razer’s chief executive officer, believes that the company’s independence has been integral to its success. Razer has 400 employees and 10 offices across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. “Whether we are part of a larger organization or we do it ourselves, it’s really what Razer stands for as a brand,” Tan says. “I really don’t think it makes a difference. What makes a difference is that the people within Razer continue to focus on delighting our users all the time and exceeding their high expectations.”

    Despite competition from companies such as Logitech, Mad Catz, Corsair, and SteelSeries, Razer has distinguished itself by operating as a so-called platform company, rather than as a pure product manufacturer. Still, it dominates: Razer is currently the number-one maker of gaming mice and gaming keyboards in the world and leads the pack in the ultra-competitive gaming headphones market, despite strong competition from Turtle Beach, Astro Gaming, Polk, and HyperX.

    “While other companies either sell hardware or make software, we do both,” Tan says. “And we integrate the software with the hardware really well. If you go on Facebook or Twitter or WeChat we are the world’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers, and gaming has become a larger subculture over the years. And we don’t just participate in the industry. We are focused on pushing core technology as opposed to just making something in China.”