Part A: INDUSTRY INFORMATION
1. Economic Features
Market size and Growth Potential (as of 2003):
* The video game industry is currently a $31 billion global market. * Market size has tripled in value over the last decade from $10 billion in 1995 to $31 billion as of 2003. * In five years the industry is expected to grow approximately 14.8% ($36,042/$31,374), at a rate of approximately 2.96% per year (14.8%/5). * We feel that the industry is entering the early maturity stage of the growth cycle for the overall global market. * Some observers feel that growth potential is massive, predicting that the video game market is "on track to rival the movie, music, and television industries" * Further analysis
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* Others such as Sega and significantly smaller players have decided to focus on game producing only. * Some major industry players are increasingly turning to outsourcing some of their game production to independent licensed game developers.
2. Competitive Analysis
*Due to the vast amount of information regarding the gaming industry, we concentrated more on the work of independent game developers than on the three makers of game consoles.
The Rivalry among Competing Sellers in the Gaming Industry:
Rivalry is seen as being intense due to the following factors:
Major players in the gaming industry: THQ, Acclaim Entertainment, EA Games, Microsoft, Sega, and Activision
* Gaming industry has experienced fierce competition due to the presence of three (Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft) different console manufacturers and several independent game developers. * All three makers of gaming consoles also develop some of their own games, which are exclusive to their own console. * Game developers are continually coming out with new games in attempt to improve upon previous releases that were of a lesser technological quality * The smaller game developers are having difficulty staying competitive due to a lack of capital, and unpredictable cash flows. * Standardization is definitely present in the many games that are released; therefore we see many game players switch
To attempt counteract this cyclical slowdown, EB games have introduced an ever-growing variety of accessories with games to increase the revenue raising capacity of their respective consoles, as well as maintaining the loyalty and attention of a fickle gaming public. Some types of games have been released, with specialty controllers to great success, mitigating the expected lull in sales in the lead-up to new consoles. Recently however, the competition has become slightly skewed. Nintendo’s newfound dominance of the market is causing some headaches for Sony and Microsoft.
Future growth expectations for the Video Games industry have been significantly moderated, as the picture of the market for gaming on mobile platforms becomes clearer. Since mobile games are sold at much lower prices compared to traditional console and PC games, their rise may foretell a slowdown of the video game market in the United States. While the recent launch of the next generation video game consoles is expected to rekindle interest in the more expensive console gaming market, the rise of low-cost, low-margin mobile gaming market may weigh on the overall gaming market. Consequently, this is expected to pull revenue downward as consumers pay less per hour for gaming entertainment. Revenue is expected to reach $47.4 billion in 2019 as a result of the expanding population and an increased percentage of Americans
The Video-Gaming industry, though, is both fickle and highly competitive. Each season the major manufacturers reinvent the system in some way; modernize it in pieces, likely even though they could actually go from version 2 to 6 in one year. Stretching it out, though, makes it more fiscally competitive in the long run. When faced with a
Activision Pre-merger: Activision was a leading developer and publisher of video game software for consoles. Its top titles include Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, and Call of Duty, all of which have multiple games in their series. The company itself was moderately vertically integrated, with ownership of some development, publishing, and distribution activities. Its strengths lie in its growth strategies; partnerships allowed the firm to exclusive rights to certain brands. Other strengths include leading game titles for multiple platforms, hit sequels that are less capital intensive to develop, a stringent “green light” process for quality control, ability for online game play, and divisions in over a dozen countries. Weaknesses include lack of existence in foreign markets, lack of PC software development techniques, and the fact that licensed content is vulnerable to competition. The opportunities available are sequels to already established titles, growth in industry, and future partnerships based on their good reputation with previous alliances. Threats include competition from other software developers like THQ and Take-Two, the cyclical nature of releases, and the reliance on game consoles for use of software.
With the competition in the video games industry getting more intense, the next steps of the video game companies become more crucial for their positioning on the market. Due to the low product differentiation, the next market leader will be the platform provider that manages to offer an innovative gaming experience and a wider population of buyers that include all demographics. Although the industry is being totally dominated by Nintendo’s console, the industry is still considered to show a
Global Video Game Console Industries must try to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage through innovation such as creating an upgraded version of the game every year or increase their on and off line presence to better satisfy their customers. There are many competitors in the Video Game industry that include PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. These gaming consoles compete in terms of price, durability and loyalty. With Intensity Rivalry being a major determinant of competitiveness, video game companies work towards dominating the industry as well as gaining the major part of the industry profit pool. (Blackwell, 2002)
The network effects in the video game industry are derived from the console system that is sold to consumers. If a company is able to increase penetration in this arena, though at-cost/ below-cost pricing or pull created through the development of desirable content, it can potentially lock in the added value of the video games sold for the system. Which is to say, the console locks-in the network effects in the industry and the games serve to reap the profits. The video games, however, may present something of a challenge in that they can be somewhat easily replicated by competitors. Nintendo used an encrypted chip system to reduce this possibility.
Taxation rises may affect the price of games meaning less people may but their games
Sometimes it seems like the computer game industry is dying, crushed to death by its own bulk. Every year more and more gaming companies get gobbled up into huge conglomerates like Electronic Arts, companies that mostly put out trash that is technically and visually impressive, but devoid of concept and content. However, there are some small gaming companies that buck the trend. While mostly just small groups of programmers and artists, some are huge unions of fans who, irritated with the dropping quality of computer games, have decided to use the power of the internet to get together and to produce games tailor-made to their personal preferences.
Alphabet Games small company based in Scotland which develops software and games. The business was formed in 2001 by three companions with a passion to develop games and software which has resulted in it becoming a multi-million pound business. The aim of this case study is to identify four forces which may affect Alphabet Games using a recognised analytical framework. A SWOT analysis is to be carried out in order to analyse and illustrate the relationship Alphabet Games has with the external environment. A set of guidelines for carrying out a SWOT analysis is to be prepared to enable the senior managers at Alphabet games to carry out an effective SWOT analysis.
Video games are an ever-growing franchise that is constantly undergoing change. Ever since the dawn of video games, new consoles, games, developers, and teams have come together, fallen apart, triumphed, and failed. What is it that has allowed some to thrive where others failed? Several different factors have changed and influenced the world of gaming, including the history that is continuously being written, the people who have built the games behind the scenes, and, of course, the actual video games themselves. Numerous video games have been more successful than others, but identifying what components set the successful apart from the unsuccessful is something definitely worth observing.
Game testing industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the world even the time of recession it haven't drop down the growth. Game consoles was a success like game testing companies have to increase their marketing strategies.
Two examples of why Alphabet Games must consider forces for change when managing its business strategy are : Value leadership (internal) and the competitive environment (external)
|the industry and its challenges it is important to understand its various phases of growth so far. |
Gaming is becoming mainstream and it’s generating a lot of buzz. It’s not just that we like to spend more time playing games, gaming itself is becoming increasingly lucrative and competitive. This kind of rise in popularity is bound to mean one thing: changes in the industry. New gaming trends are popping up and they will change the future of gaming once more. What to expect?