Intro
Almost all Marketing can be explained using the Strategic Business Unit (SBU). Every company, no matter what it produces, whether it be cosmetics, computer technology, or games, has its own SBU. SBU is divided into 4 types. Each of them is important and unique, none is like the other. But what's interesting - one view can easily transform into another, but it is impossible to reverse back. The 4 types themselves are conditionally divided into those that bring huge profits and those that bring little. In this article, we want to talk more about games using SBU. This will help you get to know the video game industry better.
Video games have shown a sharp jump in popularity in recent years. Together with them, the demand for additional services in the field has also grown. For example, boosting services have become much more popular. People began to turn to them for help in leveling, passing difficult content, and buying game resources. In the modern world, the most expensive resource is time, so many players are willing to pay for professional gamers to upgrade their accounts so that they can quickly occupy top positions and receive covered prizes. Boosting is possible in a huge number of games - World of Warcraft, FIFA 23, Destiny 2, and many others. The more popular the game, the more demand for it in boosting. There are many companies, but people prefer to trust respectable and reliable companies like https://skycoach.gg/ because they want quality service in a short time. So we see that marketing in games also extends to near-game areas.
Cash cow
It is a very interesting view of SBU. Cow brings milk, gives meat and skin, and even manure can be used as fuel. These amazing mammals live quite a long time. Also in marketing - Cash Cow consistently generates income. It has high sales and lasts a long time. A distinctive feature of the cow: other types of SBUs are funded from the proceeds that come from the Cash Cow.
Example: Dota 2
In general, it’s good if a company has a Free-to-play project behind its back that constantly generates income. Valve's big boss, Gabe, is quite good at marketing strategies and therefore did not make Dota a project similar to other F2Ps. Dota is not limited in anything - the heroes are all free, the abilities too. Its charm is that you can, if you wish, pour money into it, or you can not do this. The game has a huge base of regular players, 80% of which at least once spent money on clothes for their favorite characters. It should be noted that during its existence, Dota 2 is not only the most popular game on Steam but also the most profitable game from Valve. Dota has made more money than all Valve projects have ever made (Team Fortress 2 doesn't count).
Star
Perhaps this is the most popular view in unenlightened circles. Even if you don't know about SBU, you always knew about Star. Almost every company has its own star (well, or a brand if you like), and if it doesn’t, it will definitely get it. The meaning of Star is very simple - the product is very popular and sells out very quickly, but only in a certain period of time. How fast you took off, just as fast you fall, and maybe faster. A distinctive feature from other types is high funding, which, in theory, should pay off. Moreover, you need not just a lot of money, but a lot.
Example: Assassin's Creed
Let's face it, Assassin's Creed has long moved away from the theme of the Brotherhood of Assassins. But it is worth noting that Ubisoft's Star will bring money for a very long time. A very good decision on the part of the developers is to slightly transform the game every year, adding something new. Such examples can be cited for a very long time: Fifa (an excellent example is football, the game is still being bought regularly) or Need for Speed (one of the oldest series and still successful). Bt firstly you need to investigate in market research to understand your customers.
Question mark
The most interesting type of SBU in our opinion. Question Mark is a product that will either succeed or not. Moreover, a Question Mark is usually an innovation - something new in a certain area (in the case of games - a completely new gaming experience). Popularity is big, but sales are small. It's pretty easy to explain. Suppose you come to the race and decide to put the last money on the gray horse - take a chance. Proposing a new genre in a video game or a new concept of gameplay, the developer takes a risk. Usually, indie developers are at risk, from corporations you can call Valve.
Example: Rust
It must be said that Rust did not remain a gray horse for long. Rust is interesting primarily for the social component. There is no such thing in any game. In MMORPGs, people come together only to defeat some kind of boss, and so everyone develops separately. In Rust, you drag on after the first raid on someone else's house with friends. To develop you need not only to rob with comrades but to coexist and create a community. Otherwise, all the ideas of Rust are carefully borrowed from other games and perfectly implemented, so they successfully build customer satisfaction with their game.
DOG
There are a lot of such representatives in the gaming industry. Why do we need these games? Why do we need DOG at all? There are two reasons. The first is for market coverage. Look at Activision - they have a lot of games labeled as terrible, but the company has games of all genres - from arcade games to adventure games. The second reason is more pressing. If suddenly the corporation has no money left, then it can sell one of its DOG products. Often, such games either cover the costs spent on their creation. DOG does not need examples. We all remember Ninja Blade, LFCarry or Ride to Hell: Retribution.
Each video game company chooses its suitable SBU. For some companies it works, others change tactics.
