????你聽說過雷蛇公司（Razer）嗎？

????除了狂熱的游戲玩家，大多數(shù)人可能沒聽說過，但大家應該了解一下。這家公司總部位于加利福尼亞州卡爾斯巴德市，主要做視頻游戲周邊產品，投資人對該公司的估值已達到10億美元，因此它也在《財富》“獨角獸公司榜”上擁有一席之地。近年來，該公司的增長勢頭非常迅猛，已經從傳統(tǒng)的鼠標、鍵盤等控制設備殺入了虛擬現(xiàn)實、“微主機”和基于安卓移動操作系統(tǒng)的可穿戴設備等領域。它也由此成為微軟等大公司的主要收購目標之一。

????在視頻游戲界，雷蛇是全行業(yè)最知名的品牌之一。Newzoo公司視頻游戲分析師彼得?沃爾曼預測，雷蛇2014年的營收估計在2.5到3億美元之間。沃爾曼表示，憑借雷蛇2011年從IDG-Accel中國成長基金，以及最近從英特爾資本獲得的融資，“他們現(xiàn)在已擁有足夠的資金，完全可以在保障原有業(yè)務的同時發(fā)展新業(yè)務。”

????雷蛇公司是羅伯特?卡拉克夫和陳民亮于1998年共同創(chuàng)立的，該公司主要向不被傳統(tǒng)科技公司重視的游戲發(fā)燒友提供游戲鼠標等電腦配件。游戲研究公司Eedar的分析師艾德?趙指出，雷蛇如今已經占據(jù)全球游戲鼠標和鍵盤市場約30%的份額。他預測稱，去年北美地區(qū)的游戲周邊產品的銷售額超過了21億美元。

????雷蛇獲得如此高的估值，很可能是該公司與中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)巨頭騰訊公司締結戰(zhàn)略合作伙伴關系的結果。此項合作使得雷蛇能夠將中國時下最流行的消息應用——微信集成到它的Nabu手環(huán)中。Nabu手環(huán)是雷蛇為吸引游戲發(fā)燒友以外的用戶而做出的一次重大努力。

????沃爾曼表示：“在過去15年里，雷蛇在游戲圈里已經建立起了幾乎是‘圣杯’級別的品牌形象。另外，相對于其他競爭對手，該公司的一個重大優(yōu)勢就是它的產品范圍——除了游戲機和PC周邊產品外，還包括游戲專用筆記本。雷蛇一直鼓勵用戶協(xié)同使用它們的軟件和硬件，因此他們與用戶的關系也更加持續(xù)。正是憑借這一重要資產，雷蛇正在將產品范疇擴展至平板電腦游戲機、智能手環(huán)和開源虛擬現(xiàn)實平臺等領域。這些服務能夠為雷蛇開啟一套全新的業(yè)務模式?！?/p>

????沃爾曼相信，雷蛇對游戲發(fā)燒友的跨平臺吸引力，非常適合微軟這樣的潛在收購者，后者正計劃推出一款搭載Windows 10系統(tǒng)的PC游戲機。此外，雷蛇的開源虛擬現(xiàn)實平臺也可能讓微軟產生興趣。

????雷蛇公司CEO陳民亮則認為，公司的獨立性是成功的必要因素。雷蛇公司在美國、歐洲和亞洲共設立了10個辦事處，擁有400余名員工?！安还苁亲鳛橐粋€大企業(yè)的一部分，還是獨立運營，最重要的是雷蛇作為一個品牌代表的是什么。我認為（是否被收購）并不重要，重要的是雷蛇人能否繼續(xù)集中精力取悅我們的用戶，并超越他們的高預期?！?/p>

????雖然面臨著來自羅技科技、美加獅、Corsair和賽睿等競爭對手的競爭，但雷蛇將自己看成了一家做平臺的公司，而不是一個純粹的產品制造企業(yè)。即便是這樣，雷蛇依然是行業(yè)的龍頭老大：目前雷蛇是全球最大的游戲鍵盤與鼠標制造商，在競爭異常激烈的游戲耳機市場上也是一路領跑，將Turtle Beach、Astro Gaming、Polk和HyperX等競爭對手遠遠甩在了身后。

????陳民亮表示：“其他公司要么賣硬件，要么賣軟件，而我們軟硬件都賣。我們把軟硬件整合得非常好。你到Facebook、Twitter或微信上看看就會發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們是全球領先的游戲周邊品牌。這些年來，游戲已經成了一種規(guī)模龐大的亞文化。另外我們并非只是行業(yè)的參與者，我們更注重推動核心技術，而不是簡單地在中國制造什么東西?！?/p>

????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.”