亚马逊强势进军视频游戏领域

    你们通过Kindle游戏了解到顾客的哪些需求，并把它们应用在了Fire电视上？

    我们通过Kindle游戏了解到，降低开发者在Fire电视上发布游戏的难度是非常重要的。我们在应用商店上花了几年时间，就是为了开发者能够非常便捷地在我们的应用商店和设备上发布游戏。比如我们有一个快速审批流程，能让开发者在很短的时间里把游戏发布上线。所以我们希望能让开发者很容易地把现有游戏搬到Fire电视上。由于Fire OS操作系统是在Android基础上构建的，因此这个程序也很简单，很多开发者都跟我们讲，他们的游戏如此容易地移植到Fire电视上，让他们感到非常吃惊。

    另外给用户提供更多游戏和更多选择也很重要。我们很喜欢移动游戏的开放性，从中也受到了很多启发，它允许用户在多个设备上进行联机，我们希望把这种特性带到电视里。很快你在《我的世界》这款游戏里就能看到玩家进行联机——一个人在电视上玩，另一个人则通过Kindle Fire平板、iPhone或者其它移动设备进行联机。这也正好是我和我的孩子们经常用Fire电视干的事。它非常有意思。

    你们是怎样为大屏游戏体验选择芯片技术的？

    我们希望用户可以在一款99美元的设备上玩大量物美价廉的游戏。Fire电视提供了很多内容，包括游戏，当然也不仅限于游戏，很多用户也会买它来看电影、电视剧……然后他们会发现也能在它上面玩游戏。或者有人买它来打游戏，结果发现它也能听音乐……我们选择的芯片能完美地做到这一点。

    在Fire电视发布之后，哪种游戏类型或哪款游戏最受用户欢迎？

    很多游戏类型都很受欢迎。前面提到的《Sev Zero：空中支援》非常受用户欢迎，不过这款游戏毕竟是专门为Fire电视开发的。其它受欢迎的游戏还包括《行尸走肉》(The Walking Dead)、《雷曼嘉年华跑酷》(Rayman Fiesta Run)、《狂野飙车8》、《滑雪大冒险》(Ski Safari)、《我的世界》和《GTA》等等。基本上，好玩、制作精良并且在大屏幕上显示效果比较好的游戏都非常受欢迎。

    你认为多玩家联机对于大屏游戏来说扮演了什么样的角色？

    我认为，就电视体验而言，多玩家联机扮演了相当重要的角色。虽然玩游戏的时候并非必须要联机，但是它的确会让有些游戏玩起来更有意思。我们这里有《Sev Zero》发布一个月后的一项数据，这项数据显示，人们如果与别人联机玩这款游戏的话，他们玩游戏的时间会比自己一个人玩长出67%。这种联机体验效果如此之好，让我们非常兴奋。

    跟Kindle相比，Fire电视用户的人口构成有什么不同？

    差别并不大。Fire电视是娱乐类用户的不二之选，很多人可能买了它以后只是看看电视和电影，但后来也开始在电视上玩游戏、分享照片等等。我们发现，如果一款设备可以做很多事情，用户往往会比一开始花更多的时间去用它。我们发现这一点也适用于Fire电视。我们已经发现很多不同年龄的用户在玩很多类型的游戏。

    你们给Fire电视也配了一个游戏手柄，你们从传统的游戏机上学到了什么？

    我们希望设计一个让大家觉得舒服又熟悉的游戏手柄，让用户拿起来就能玩。我们的Fire游戏手柄跟传统手柄布局很像，希望为大家带来一种熟悉的感觉。

    横跨电视、平板电脑和智能手机的跨平台游戏体验有哪些机会？

    我们已经开始在这方面进行尝试。比如我们前面谈到的《我的世界》这款游戏，玩家可以在不同的设备上进行联机，比如一个人在Fire电视上玩，其他人在智能手机或平板电脑上玩。《Sev Zero》也可以进行联机，其中一个玩家在Fire电视上作为“主力”，第二个玩家用平板电脑帮他打怪。总之，随着联网设备的繁荣发展，以及云技术带来的无缝联接，跨平台游戏有着巨大的机会。它非常开放，而且有很多可能。从我们现在看到的来说，我们知道跨平台游戏能够获得玩家的响应，而且我们也很希望看到开发者能够带来哪些新体验。（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

    What did you learn from Kindle gaming with your customers that was applied to Fire TV?

    What we learned from Kindle gaming was the importance of making it really easy for developers to launch their games on Fire TV. We’ve spent years with our Appstore making it easier and easier for developers to release their games through our store and on our devices. For example, we have a fast approval process so that developers can get their games live in a very short amount of time. So we wanted to make it easy for developers to bring their existing games to Fire TV. Since Fire OS is built with Android, the process was very easy, with developers telling us they have been impressed with the ease of development and how quickly their games can be ported to Fire TV.

    More games and more choice for customers is very important. We also like, and were inspired by, the openness of mobile games, which allow customers to play multiplayer on multiple screens, and wanted to bring that to the TV. You’ll see this with Minecraft where customers can play co-op — one person playing the game on their TV, while others play and interact in the same world with their other mobile devices like their Kindle Fire tablet or iPhone. That happens to be one of the most popular uses of Fire TV for my kids and me. It’s incredibly fun.

    How did you go about choosing the chip technology for the big-screen gaming experience?

    We wanted to build something that allowed customers to play a huge range of affordable games on a $99 device. And since Fire TV offers so much content, including but not limited to games, we expected many customers to buy it for watching movies and shows…then discover they can play games as well. Or buy it to play games, and also listen to music…The chip technology we chose is perfect for doing this.

    What have you seen since launching Fire TV when it comes to game genres and specific games that are popular with your customers?

    It’s really been a wide range of genres. Sev Zero: Air Support is definitely popular with our customers, but we expected that since this game was specifically developed for Fire TV. Other popular games include The Walking Dead, Rayman Fiesta Run, Asphalt 8, Ski Safari, Minecraft and GTA. Basically, fun and well-made games that look great on a big screen TV, end up doing very well.

    What role do you see multiplayer gaming experiences playing with the move to the big screen?

    I see multiplayer gaming playing a pretty big role in relation to the TV experience. It’s not required, but for some games multiplayer just makes them more fun. We had data from a little over a month after the launch of Sev Zero: Air Support, which showed us that people who play with another player using Air Support, play 67% longer than when they play alone. We are excited to see this type of co-op/second screen experience do so well.

    How do the demographics for the Fire TV compare to that of the Kindle?

    It’s not all that different. The Fire TV is meant for customers who want an entertainment-focused experience, and lots of people will buy it to just watch TV and movies and will wind up playing games, sharing photos on the TV, etc. We found that when you offer customers the option of being able to do a lot of things with a device they often end up using that device for more than what they may have originally intended. We are seeing the same thing hold true with the Fire TV. We are seeing a lot of different customers playing games across many genres.

    What did you learn from traditional game consoles that you applied to the Fire TV controller?

    We wanted to design a comfortable controller that is also familiar, so customers can just pick it up and play. Our Fire Game Controller features a common layout, which allowed us to offer something familiar.

    What opportunities are there for cross-platform gaming experiences across TV, tablet and smartphone?

    We’ve already started to get a taste. Going back to our discussion about Minecraft, customers can play multiplayer with multiple screens with one person on the Fire TV, and others on their smartphones or tablets. Sev Zero: Air Support offers up an interesting way to play as well, where one customer is playing the primary game on Fire TV, while a second player is using their tablet to help. In general, with the proliferation of connected devices, and using the cloud to enable seamless connections, there’s a huge opportunity for cross-platform play. It’s very open and there are many possibilities. From what we’ve seen so far, we know cross-platform gaming resonates with customers, and we look forward to seeing what new experiences developers dream up.