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Competitive Positioning in the Video Game Industry

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By eliciting the example of Activision Blizzard, Inc., I’d like to point out the importance of administering a strong positioning strategy for firms: capacity to decide the course of marketing and sales, push for growth, and solidify their position in the market. Competitive positioning involves determining what features or benefits are most essential to the market, thereby constructing value for the market. Located on its investor’s page, the firm proclaims that it is “a worldwide online, PC, console, handheld and mobile game publisher with leading positions across every major category of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry.”1
The video game industry of today looks vastly different than it did 10 years ago, with the stark contrast being that many firms are designing their games to be more family-friendly; the stereotypes of video games no longer being just in the realm of teenage boys. All in all, the industry is faring well with reported sales of 273 million units in 2009, generating an astounding $10.5 billion in revenue. However, it is rather difficult to enter as many games necessitate enormous investments. Not only is it tough to enter, it’s extremely competitive since the big players already own a vast majority of the best brands and are interrelated, thereby enjoying great competitive advantages.
To again quote its investor’s page, Activision Publishing’s objective is to “create, acquire, and maintain strong franchises... execute disciplined product selection and development processes… focused product offerings, diversity in platforms and geographies.”2 By emphasizing an aggressive effort to develop popular franchises with online play (Call of Duty & Blizzard games) and games with loyal niche audiences, Activision reduces the amount needed for development investment. Furthermore, successful franchises/game series denote that

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