Discover the value of ACG creation. Who will be the ACG IP incubator?

The copyright dispute of "Legend of Miyue" has been a hot topic, and the lawsuit between the original work and the TV adaptation has not yet been concluded, but the fact that the online novel IP that came out of Jinjiang Literature Network has become a popular TV series in most of China was almost unimaginable ten years ago. We have seen the incubation of original IPs in the past ten years, but there are still many years of accumulated two-dimensional creations that are waiting to be discovered.

The era of the second dimension IP has arrived

Jinjiang Literature Network, as the representative of the first generation of original IP incubation on the Chinese Internet, first gathered a large number of two-dimensional fan creations, and then original novels became the mainstream. In the past two years, many successful cases have emerged.

Forums represented by Tianya have brought interaction into IP creation. A large number of hot posts generated on Tianya have become the source of movie creation in recent years: "Go Away Tumor King" and "Ghost Blows Out the Light" are both super IPs from Tianya.

The circle culture has continued from the forum to the present day. Barrage websites such as A and B stations have greatly enhanced the interactivity, and live streaming platforms such as Douyu have also provided grassroots authors with a platform to showcase their works more intuitively.

A large part of the reason why the two-dimensional world is linked to IP incubation is that the identities of original IP and two-dimensional re-creators overlap to a large extent. A few years ago, the identity of two-dimensional re-creators was an existence that had to be hidden, but when the two-dimensional world has become an indispensable attribute of future target consumers, two-dimensional creators have also discovered that their hobbies can be exposed to the sun and become part of the mainstream economy.

According to foreign data, the output value of pan-animation in Japan alone reached 13.2 billion US dollars in 2014, while data for the broad two-dimensional field is not available. China's market share was less than 10 billion ten years ago, but has reached 100 billion yuan today. This achievement has been achieved without fully developing the market, which means there is still a lot of room for growth in the future. If we join hands with the pan-entertainment industry, the market pie will be huge.

IP Incubator

Everyone is familiar with business incubators, which provide a variety of services to early-stage companies in a centralized space to help them grow. Bringing this concept to this field means providing a living space for original IPs and cultivating IPs with rich extensions and that can be commercialized.

How to better attract fans of the second dimension is undoubtedly a matter of course, and the capital entering various O2O has become an unstoppable trend. IP incubator may still be a concept that has not yet been put on the table, but the operation of various platforms is quietly gathering the necessary elements:

First of all, for the gathering of creators, nothing is more important than being recognized by the majority of authors. Because a work is established based on the needs of fans. Only when the author recognizes the platform and the fans recognize the work can a popular IP be created. Combining the demands and needs of authors and fans, helping their works determine the market positioning and tone, and digging deep into the depth of deep-level works to increase the stickiness of fans are what a qualified IP incubator should be able to do.

Secondly, the ACG world has a strong circle culture and social attributes. It is almost impossible for ACG creators to work behind closed doors. It is even more exaggerated to say that social interaction is the driving force behind their creation. According to the data, there are currently 260 million ACG users in China, most of whom are young people around 20 years old, who have their own consumption power and have an essential need for social interaction. Creating a circle of social interaction can in turn promote the production of ACG content.

Third, the output from the niche subculture of the second dimension to the mainstream culture. For example, movies are a relatively popular form of entertainment consumption. Movies + second dimension content can help break the dimensional wall and profit in the mainstream. As soon as the Marvel superhero movie was released, it swept the world's box office of billions. The starting point was also the second dimension comics. Once upon a time, rock music was also regarded as rebellious and non-mainstream. Now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an extraordinary achievement award, which is only 20 or 30 years away from the emergence of rock music.

Finally, the operation of capital. Currently, Tencent, NetEase, Alibaba and other giants are competing to invest in IP incubation platforms, using strong financial support to support outstanding creators to create IP.

The ACG industry is breaking the boundaries between 2D and 3D, real and virtual, and will become increasingly important in the pan-entertainment industry. The ACG industry actually requires many upstream, midstream and downstream companies to work together to make this layout. Of course, the source of everything is still high-quality original IP.

In fact, everyone will consciously promote good things and attract 2D fans with a sincere attitude. It is not only to create a 2D content consumption community, but also to create a large 2D IP incubation platform like the foreign WorldCosplay, pixiv, and niconico. When will we be able to see it in China?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.