“375 million of our monthly active users we are delivering to our app designers and game developers,” Richard Song said during Casual Connect Asia 2014. “Our partner developers made over 1 million US dollars last year.”
Richard Song, the head of APAC, platform partnerships, games, at Facebook, says, “We are the sum of our choices. Every experience we have had, good or bad, has led to us being where we are today.”
And today, Song is serving Facebook’s partners, helping them to establish, grow, and monetize their businesses using the Facebook platform. Prior to coming to Facebook, he worked in the games industry for 16 years as the managing director and vice-president at Perfect World Entertainment, vice-president of global publishing at Webzen HQ, managing director of Shanghai at NHN HQ, and vice-president and head of global business at Hanbitoft HQ. Then one day a recruiter recognized the value of his extensive experience, gave him a call, and enticed him to join Facebook.
Exceptional Teamwork
The most satisfying moment he recalls in his career came in 2005 when the team he led was recognized as the most valuable of the year. He asserts, “This achievement came as a result of exceptional teamwork by every member of my team.”
When Song is away from his work, he likes to spend time with his family, hiking, and gaming. He describes himself as an old-fashioned gamer whose preferred platform is PC. He likes to play the “oldies but goodies”, including League of Legends, Warcraft III and Team Fortress 2.
He appreciates free-to-play for the opportunity it gives players to try a game before they commit to it, comparing it to test driving a car before you buy it.
Song does not yet own either Xbox One or PS4, although he expects to. He says he is waiting for Grand Theft Auto 5 for PS4.
Tailor-Made Success
As he considers what is coming in the games industry, he see a trend toward focused, tailor-made audiences, while standard service for everyone will diminish. He believes Video on Demand will continue to increase with YouTube and IPTV. Other trends he expects to gain strength include Mico SNS and wearable technology such as GoPro, SmartBand, and Google Glass.
At Casual Connect Asia, Song announced that Facebook will be working more closely with Southeast Asian-based developers and building up a new platform partnerships team for the Southeast Asia region.
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