The video game industry can be fun, but also insanely competitive. If there are other video game developers making similar games to yours, you might find it hard to appeal to your shared target demographics in a way that makes your game uniquely exciting.
What are the best ways for dealing with competitors in the video game industry?
Identify Your Biggest Competitors
One of the first things you should do is take a moment to outline who your biggest competitors are. What are the most popular and most celebrated video games in this particular niche? What are their biggest similarities and in what ways are they different?
Further, you should attempt to define the nature of their threat. Are people choosing these video games over yours? Or are they simply sharing an audience with you? Is this an older game that might be irrelevant in the near future, or a game even newer than yours that’s pulling people away from your game?
These variables should help you decide how to move forward with your strategy.
Flag Potential Intellectual Property Infringement
Before you attempt to make any changes to your game or business strategy, you should flag any instances of potential intellectual property right infringement. If someone is violating your trademarks, patents, or other intellectual property, you should consider hiring a lawyer so that you can take action.
Your lawyer may advise you to hire an expert witness (see eurekasoft.com) in the realm of software development. This expert witness can dig into the source code of competing games to determine whether any of your assets have been stolen or improperly used. If you succeed in your legal action, you may be able to stop your competitors in their tracks.
Of course, most of your competitors in the video game space won’t be directly violating your intellectual property rights, but instead will simply be threatening your market share on even footing.
Find a Way to Differentiate Your Game
One great way to fend off your top competitors is to find new ways to differentiate your game. In other words, show people why your video game is the superior option in this space. Depending on which stage of development you’re in, major changes may or may not be feasible.
· Gameplay. How do your current players feel about the core gameplay loop of your game? Are there ways you can modify it or add to it? Can you give people more options with how they engage with your gameplay? There are many ways to stand out here, and all of them can be valuable.
· Graphics. Graphics aren’t the most important element of a video game’s success, but they do matter. If you can’t substantially improve the core gameplay of your video game, perhaps you can greatly improve the graphics. If you can’t improve the graphics, you might be able to change the style and overall aesthetic presentation of the game.
· Price. Failing that, you can always opt for a lower price. If you feel like you can’t make your video game strictly superior to similar games in this space, you might still be able to beat the competition by selling your game at a lower price, or even making it free.
Consider Targeting a Unique Demographic
You can also differentiate yourself by targeting a unique demographic. Instead of competing with a rival over a demographic group that’s already spoken for, consider targeting people who aren’t currently playing a game in this space. Is there a way to make your video game pop out to these individuals?
Adjust Your Strategic Positioning
Like any other business owner, you need to have a high-level strategic plan in place if you want to succeed, says Wix. If you’re having trouble dealing with competitors, try adjusting your strategic positioning. How can you market or advertise your video game in a unique way? How can you add more strengths to it?
Embrace the Competition
Finally, don’t be afraid to embrace the competition. The video game industry is a huge one, and most players within it are playing multiple similar video games simultaneously. There’s ample room for both you and your competitors, as long as you make space for it, and you can even work together in some capacity. For example, you can host cross-promotional events and generally support each other’s games. It’s a great way to foster mutual community building, especially if you share a target audience.
As you can see, there are countless ways to deal with competitors in the video game world, from challenging their use of your own intellectual property to outmaneuvering them from a strategic standpoint. What’s most important is that you have a clear vision for who your top competitors are and how you’re going to handle them.
