IS427:AY1314T1 Europe (G1) - Organizations: Ghent: Graphine

Home	Course Information	Participants	Cities	Organizations	Learnings

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• High growth market - games
  

- Many platforms and consoles (E.g. PS3, PS4, XBOX, Wii)

• Convenient integration
  

- Granite SDK is flexile and allows one to easily integrate it into a project even late in the production process
- Resolves a major concern for prospective partner studios

• Backward compatibility

Weaknesses

• Limited in focus and outreach (in targeting of just web browser/pc based games)

- More opportunities to be explored such as partnering with potential clients that can lead to more collaborations and projects (e.g. they have a long suite of games under a continuing series - Final Fantasy, Assassins Creed, Kingdom Hearts)
- Going into where there is a more chronic need for space/memory optimization (Mobile) will lead to having a better positioning and of course, stronger persuasion power

• Lack of long-term partnerships
  

- Partnerships with studios for their whole range of games ensures a continued stake by the partner
- Also helps build the credibility and portfolio of Graphine

Opportunities

• (Expand): Mobile gaming
  

- Able to position themselves as a necessity as consumers expect and demand more in terms of performance (of the products)
- Clients who wish to remain competitive will see that they are a possible solution to limitations concerning software
- Possible to branch into video streaming as well

• (Enhance): Add-on developer tool
  

- Unit testing (Quality & Assurance)
- Exclusive packages (just for long-term partners or those with multiple projects)
- Enhance yearly maintenance and service contracts (not just having the option of a 1 year 24 hr customer support) – add variations in cost, features, duration and type of support in terms of comprehensiveness
- Focus on service portion (customer support and feedback)
- Trial offers to get people onboard (reference Adobe Gaming SDK has a trial version, most do in fact)

Threats

• Cheaper or free alternatives
  

- Though of lower quality, less cost intensive or even free-to-use SDKs available could pose a threat (e.g. Adobe Gaming SDK - which is a free ad-on/component of their suite, Corona SDK - specially suited for mobile development)
- Alternative optimization methods in the market (e.g. efficiency management through data processing)

Additional Information

• Why not China?

Although it is a very big and lucrative market, things may not be as smooth for a company looking to go in due to a “Game console ban”. While people still sell game consoles, no outright marketing is allowed, which thus hinders outreach to some extent. In addition, there will be competition from many local developers that solely target the local market and have a much better understanding of the ecosystem which further leads to there being an unlikely incentive for collaboration with others. Other consideration also include the nature of the industry, where games have a short lifecycle and keep rotating, thus the potential staying power of a foreign company is significantly reduced due to oversaturation of the market - the sheer volume of “the next big hit” hopefuls.

References

• Game Development in SEA:

- http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2285/exploring_game_development_in_.php