/PRZWT/Xiamen, November 29, 2024 - From the 20th to the 22nd, the 16th Xiamen International Animation Festival series of activities was held. At this feast in the field of animation and games, not only did the winners of the "Golden Dolphin Award" animation and game awards be announced, but also for the first time at the WN International Game Business Conference, setting up an international cooperation and exchange platform for domestic animation and game practitioners. During the three-day period, experts and guests from the global animation and game industry gathered on Ludao to discuss industry trends and jointly discuss industry opportunities and challenges.
specialization
Good works and professional competitions "go both ways"
In 2008, the first Xiamen International Animation Festival was unveiled. After 16 years of accumulation and precipitation, Xiamen International Animation Festival has become one of the most influential animation festivals and competitions in China, and is also the only demonstration event recognized by the International Animation Association (ASIFA) in China.
This year, the "Golden Dolphin Award" of Xiamen International Animation Festival received 3,370 entries, and the total number of entries increased by 27% year-on-year, setting a record high. The "two-way running" of good works and professional competitions has achieved the "gold content" of the "Golden Dolphin" and also allowed more outstanding creators to have a stage to display.
"As an animation major, I have been looking forward to the Golden Dolphin Award since college, and I look forward to winning it. Today, my dream has finally come true." As the director of this year's Golden Dolphin Award for Best Film and Television Animation Feature Film "Tea Ah No. 2 Middle School", Yan Kai said excitedly, "Receiving this award is a great encouragement, and I am more motivated, so I can work hard to complete the next work."
"Animal City", which won the gold medal for the best game at this year's "Golden Dolphin Awards", came from a young team. Although it was only two years old, SpiralUpGames won two titles in this competition, and "Public Enemy 2 New World" won the bronze award for the best game.
According to Wu Kaiwen, commercial manager of SpiralUpGame, winning the "Golden Dolphin Award" is a very good opportunity for the team to build a brand reputation among the domestic developer community.
"At the very beginning of the festival, the aim of professionalism and independence was clearly defined, and the competition was held in a'fair, just and open 'manner. Adhering to this principle, the Xiamen International Animation Festival'Golden Dolphin Award' has become a gold medal event that attracts countless domestic and international animation game creators, and a unique city card for Xiamen," said Li Zhongqiu, vice-chairperson of the International Animation Association.
Leading the development of the industry with professionalism, a series of activities such as creator exchanges and project roadshows were also held at the event site. During the sharing session, the guests focused on "ACG relations in the new era from the perspective of pan-animation", and in-depth exchanges and discussions on new trends and new achievements in the development of animation, games, and comics industries.
internationalization
The competition sets the stage to open up a global perspective for development
Not only did the number of entries reach a record high, but this year's competition also continued to break out of the "international style". The competition received works from 40 countries, and the number of overseas works increased by 20% year-on-year.
In addition, more than half of the 24 judges this year are from overseas, adding an international perspective and professional judgment to the event.
This year, as a globally renowned B2B event in the game industry, WN International Game Business Conference was first held at Xiamen International Animation Festival, attracting industry elites, experts and game company representatives from nearly 10 countries and regions around the world. Among them, overseas guests accounted for more than 80%.
Chairperson of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Sho Sato, who came to Xiamen for the first time, was deeply impressed by the industry here. He said that the development of Xiamen's animation and game industry is very international, and Xiamen's excellent animation games can be seen in many places abroad. Therefore, the association is also looking forward to policy partnerships with Xiamen to help high-quality game development and game talent incubation.
"Xiamen is the city where activities related to BRICS cooperation are held. This conference also specially invited representatives of game companies from several BRICS countries to gather in Xiamen to carry out the'BRICS theory 'of the game industry," said Zhu Lihui, founder of China Independent Games Alliance (CiGA).
He believes that Xiamen, as a place where local overseas game companies gather, has always had a very good performance in the international game market. In terms of geographical location, local enterprise growth, industrial structure and other aspects, it is very suitable to become the future capital of China's international game cooperation. The holding of WN International Game Business Conference has established an important platform for domestic game practitioners to communicate and communicate face-to-face with global developers, and also provided a rare opportunity for them to understand overseas markets and improve the efficiency of domestic games going overseas.
industrialization
Accelerate the conversion of projects to save production
Discussing the cutting-edge trends of the industry and exploring cooperation opportunities in depth. At the two-day WN Game Business Conference, industry elites from around the world fully exchanged and collided with the theme of "Connecting the World: The Future of Games", covering game products, publishing operations, development services, promotion and marketing, platform channels, and IP cooperation.
"After a few days of participating in the event and sharing, it can be said that it is all dry goods, and the harvest is full." Chen Rongdong, a guest at Hainan Gongshu Technology Co., Ltd., said that the sharing of market and industry trends at the meeting brought new ideas to independent game developers and start-ups.
Optimistic about the good foundation of Xiamen's animation and game industry, and the opportunity for the conference platform to gather global resources, Wang Jie, a representative from Beijing Liangpin Changbo Technology and Trade Co., Ltd., has a clear goal: "We focus on game research and development, and hope that through this event platform, we can connect with Xiamen and even the world's distribution resources and overseas channels, so that our game works can better'go global '."
"For a long time, Xiamen has closely integrated animation and games with the technology and information industries, laying a good foundation for the implementation of the industry, and also moving in the same direction as the development trend of the pan-animation era," Li Zhongqiu said.
After years of deep cultivation, Xiamen International Animation Festival has become an important incubation and promotion platform for Xiamen's game industry, gathering industry experts to explore cutting-edge directions, and continuously promoting industrial exchange transactions and project landing. In recent years, Xiamen's game industry has developed rapidly. A number of enterprises such as Gigabit and 43999 have grown into industry leaders, creating a number of "popular" games such as "Seeking Daqian" and "Destiny Holy Path", which have also promoted Xiamen to become one of the well-known game research and development bases in China.
Next, Xiamen will continue to promote the marketization, internationalization, and branding of Xiamen International Animation Festival, further leverage the advantages of Xiamen's animation and game industry, seize new opportunities for digital development, and contribute to the high-quality economic and social development of Xiamen.
(Liao Liping, Fu Taoxu, Hong Huimin)
