玩具销售阴盛阳衰之谜

    传统的男孩玩具同时还面临一个强劲的长期竞争对手：电子游戏。霍达克指出，电子游戏的竞争对男孩产品的销售影响更大。这是因为男孩更容易转向电子游戏平台。根据欧睿国际的调查，2012年在6岁以下男孩中45%在过去一年玩过电子游戏，而女孩只有38%。由于索尼（Sony）和微软（Microsoft）将于假期分别推出新款游戏机PS4和Xbox One，电子游戏对传统玩具的销售将到来更为剧烈的影响。

    另外，还有一个最具威胁的对手：移动游戏。市场调研公司SuperData的数据显示，基于平板和智能手机的行业将从2010年的9.01亿美元增加至今年的30亿美元。对于这类行业中某些估算，孩子是他们最理想的顾客。根据Superdata的调查，8至14岁的孩子中大约62%经常在智能手机或平板上玩游戏。Superdata公司CEO乔斯特•范•德鲁涅恩说：“随着内容提供商不断推出面向这类消费者的游戏，这个数字预计还会增长。”

    霍达克指出，电子游戏在孩子中的流行主要驱动力来自免费类型的游戏，因为他们可以免费下载这些游戏。一旦孩子们开始玩这些游戏，并且在父母的允许（有时未经父母许可）下开始为辅助、增强和更高级别而支付金钱时，游戏开发者就可从中赚钱盈利。

    霍达克说： “（移动游戏）正在抢夺传统游戏的销售额。这个年龄段的孩子们非常容易接触平板，他们可以用父母的iPad或自己的平板玩游戏。”美泰公司CEO斯托克顿在上周三的通话中对此表示反对，同时指出，电子游戏和玩具的销售都在增长，玩具是电子游戏的补充。

    无论如何，玩具公司正在努力赶上并试图从流行电子游戏中获利。今年7月，孩之宝投资1.12亿美元收购了移动游戏公司Backflip Studios高达70%股权。同时，作为一种棋类游戏电子化的策略，它还与电脑游戏开发商育碧公司（Ubisoft）结成了合作伙伴。美泰公司为旗下许多玩具增加电子组件。例如，新推出的Ever After High系列配备了网站、全球性的Facebook页面和YouTube频道。上周三，斯托克顿宣布，美泰公司已与Minecraft达成了一项交易，将于2014年秋季开发一系列的游戏。后者的移动应用下载量高达3,000万。

    如果能够成功在传统玩具、电脑游戏和移动游戏之间取得平衡，玩具公司或许将迎来救世主。电脑游戏发行商动视暴雪 （Activision）即是一个很好的例子。2011年10月，这家公司推出了游戏《Skylander》，通过电脑游戏和移动游戏将虚拟角色带入现实生活。截止今年7月，相关的销售额已经达到了15亿美元。（财富中文网）

    译者：柴志斌

    Traditional male toys are also feeling the heat from a longtime rival: video games. Competition from video games is felt more acutely on the boys' side of sales, says Hudak, since males are more prone to jump to electronic playing platforms. According to a Euromonitor survey, in 2012, 45% of boys up to age six had played a video game in the past year, compared to 38% of girls. Video games will be an especially fierce menace to traditional toy sales this holiday season as Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) release their new consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, respectively.

    And then there's the biggest threat of all: mobile gaming. The tablet_and smartphone_based industry has grown from $901 million in 2010 to a projected $3 billion this year, according to Superdata, a market research firm. And children are some of the industry's best customers. Roughly 62% of children ages 8 to 14 years old regularly play games on their own smartphone or tablet in the U.S., according to Superdata. "We expect this number to grow, as content providers continue to release games suitable for this audience," says Joost van Dreunen, Superdata's CEO.

    The popularity of digital gaming among kids is driven mainly by the free-to-play category of games, which kids can download for free, says Hudak. Game developers make money off of these games once kids are hooked and pay for add-ons, power-ups, and extra levels with -- and sometimes without -- their parents' permission.

    "[Mobile games] are sapping sales from traditional toys. Kids are so tablet–oriented at such a young age because they're playing with their parents iPad or a device of their own," Hudak says. Stockton of Mattel countered that point during Wednesday's call, arguing that digital and toy sales were growing together and that toy play complements digital use.

    Nevertheless, toy companies are trying to catch up to and capitalize on their popular digital counterparts. In July, Hasbro purchased a 70% stake in mobile gaming company Backflip Studios for $112 million. It also brokered a partnership with Ubisoft, a video game developer, as part of a strategy to bring board games to the screen. Mattel has added digital components to many of its toys. Its new Ever After High doll line, for instance, is supported by a website, global Facebook page, and a YouTube channel. And Stockton announced on Wednesday that the company had signed a deal with Minecraft, whose mobile app has been downloaded 30 million times, to develop a range of games in fall 2014.

    If they can pull it off, striking a balance between traditional toys, video games, and mobile games might be a toy company's savior. Just ask video game publisher Activision (ATVI). In October 2011, it launched its Skylander franchise, which brings action figures to life through video and mobile games. As of July, sales had reached a staggering $1.5 billion.