Electronic Arts Marketing Analysis

Electronic Arts Inc. is a guiding global interactive entertainment software company. Electronic Arts Inc is an universal developer, dealer, publisher and distributor of interactive software worldwide for video game comforts, such as the PLAYSTATION 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii; personal computers (PCs), including the Macintosh; handheld game players, such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo DS, and portable devices, such as cellular phones and smart phones, as well as the Apple iPhone. Electronic Arts was legitimately built-in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, and in 1988, EA bought Westwood Studios for $122 million. The company was establishing of the early on home computer games industry and was remarkable for promoting the designers and programmers dependable for its games. (Zushy, 2009)

By the early on 2000s, EA had developed into one of the world’s biggest third-party publishers. In 2007 EA graded 8th on the list of prevalent software companies in the world. In May 2008, the company information net annual revenue of US$4.02 billion in financial year 2008. Currently, EA’s most winning products are sports games available under its EA Sports brand, games based on famous movie certify and games from long-running franchises like Road Rash, The Sims, Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, Command & Conquer, Battlefield and the afterward games in the Burnout series. (Zushy, 2009)

Besides that, Electronic Arts provide in the conception of software tools to more professionally build up games for numerous policy. The company also provides in services and equipment that allocate them to produce and edit video and audio recordings that are used in their games. The interactive software games that they expand and issue are broken down into 3 major grouping, there is EA Studio Products, co-publishing products and distribution products. In short, Electronic Arts has available games for more than 45 different policies. (Wikipedia, 2011)

EA presently contend with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, each of which extend and distribute software for their particular policies. EA also competes with numerous extra companies, which are also qualified by the comfort manufacturers to extend and distribute software games that activate on their comforts. These challengers include Activision, Atari, Capcom, Eidos, Koei, Konami, LucasArts, Midway, Namce, Sega, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft, and Vivendi Universal Games. (Wikipedia, 2011)

2.0 PEST Analysis

PEST analysis is a significant and extensively used tool that to expand more thoughtful of the video game industry, it is significant to observe the external macroeconomic factors that are disturbing in this industry as a whole. The purpose of this analysis is to be aware of the level which the environment forces disturbing in video game industry and how the company is able to take advantage of the opportunities, as long as reduce the threats fakes to their business. (John. S, 2010)

2.1 Political Factors

In video game industry, there are some issues that would involve the future capability of Electronic Arts operating in this industry. These issues are home market about the potential legislation, demands collection, and financial support by government. For instance, EA has quickly developed into the numeral one focus of game maturity, with the amount of people employed in the game industry raise to 177% in 2 years. This expansion has been increase by insistent government motivation, some of which Ubisoft helped to form a decade, encouraging companies to set awake shop in region. However, there is a well-built prospect in the potential that entrance interests could effectively anxiety the governments to employ legislation that exclude production of fierce gaming and having a rebellious lifestyle. As a result, these proceedings would have a improbable harmful force on the game distribute and comfort industry. (Roger Smith, 2010)

2.2 Economic Factors

Currently, the video game industry is facing tremendous confront because of the raise in costs associated with increasing the games, and the recessionary trends happening during the world. By this way, the common economic development related with concerns in the economic or operate policies, marital and worldwide economy, and revolve in market trends associated with the video game industry have tremendous harmful outcome for the potential capability of Electronic Arts in this industry.

Thus, it is crucial for EA in the video game industry to be more aggressive than still in obtain new customers for their products since a lot of of the game publishers resourceful in this kind of market, where they can suggest inventive products that develop their general existence. For example the plan of an interactive implement (Nintendo Wit Fit) or instructive software (Srabble). (John. S, 2010)

2.3 Sociocultural Factors

This expansion is particularly essential because it significantly manipulate the Electronic Art’s planned formulation of which multiplicity of games that should in contend. In the worldwide video game industry, a high level of customization is necessary, where the end customer can regulate their lifestyle and software to the restricted society. Besides that, the software is somewhat identical but the making of eventual knowledge and excitement are the crucial intangibles that create one game publisher differentiate itself from its contest. By this way, improvement gaming and quick completion of knowledge has encouraging collision on the video game industry. (Roger Smith, 2010)

2.4 Technological Factors

Generally, increasing improvement in technology has lead to better progress of products being available to the end customer. Consequently, certain technological modernisms such as the processing power and Internet, it have guide to marvelous growth of video game. In addition, there progress have produced superior challenge among the competitors in this industry, with through dissimilar procurement guide such as technological, building e-commerce models, reducing the cost of obtaining information, government subvention that have had a tremendous force on the utilization routine of consumers around the world. As technological improvement is incessantly evolving and revolutionizing the landscape of video game software and its capabilities, those who would like to endure must keep up their competitive advantage increasing and energetic ways to entice customers. Electronic Arts must be aware of the knowledge adoption life cycle, realize while it will attain maturity, and be arranged through research and progress initiatives to be forward of the curve. (Roger Smith, 2010)

3.0 Five Forces Analysis

The Porter’s 5 Forces is a powerful tool for considerate where control deception in a business circumstances. This is useful as it helps EA realize the strength of their recent competitive situation, and the strength of a situation they’re considering. With a clear sympathetic of where control lies, then they be able to take reasonable advantage of a situation of strength, recover situation of weakness, and avoid taking wrong steps. (Quickmba, 2010)

3.1 The Threat of Entry

Barriers to entry in an industry is resolute by the effortlessness of entry by new company who are demanding to challenge the market share of presented entities and construction the general industry circumstances distasteful. The threat of new entrants in the worldwide video game industry is measured to be low to reasonable. The companies entering the market must tolerate substantial establish costs. Afterward, formerly significant amounts of proprietary is residential, reputable companies have tremendous competitive advantages with knowledge in increasing better game titles, therefore appreciably reducing costs even extra. While these negative trends begin ups, it might be very successful if they develop innovation branding and game titles which are willingly acknowledged by consumers.

Besides that, barriers to entry can be low to sensible, depending on how the new competitors shift to consolidate its position in the market. At the same time, the game develop cycle for PS2, Xbox were normally 12 to 24 month, but increasing for Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii might take from 12 to 36 month, it would take a lot of money to support progress. If Electronic Arts do not have a lot of asset and skill, it is complicated to enter worldwide video market. (Teo Eng Seng, 2010)

3.2 The Power of Buyers

The buyers in the video game industry normally fall in one category, there are generally consumers of software. By the way, customers have tremendous power in this industry because their container order better quality of products and normally playing industry contributor off alongside one another, all the expense of industry profitability. Therefore, these buyers have tremendous discuss advantage depending on their range and control in home markets.

Moreover, buyers in this industry are low controlling costs and easily change to other game publishers if they are not receiving worth for money. Brand loyalty is relatively low and leading companies achieve a degree of brand acknowledgment and achievement throughout well-known games lines, the achievement of personal titles is well dependent upon critical review. So, the buyer power in this industry is restrained to high, which is critical for the industry. (Dagmar Recklies, 2009)

3.3 The Power of Suppliers

In the worldwide video game industry, games software distribute is concerning as being ‘weightless’ and labour concentrated because accomplishment in this market requires the service of capable software developers. By the way, the deviation of inputs increases the conception of supplier power. For example, use of logical material goods from other media utilization of characters from famous films, it’s also a considerable effort for publishers. Thus, supplier power is quite high, which is encouraging for this industry. Besides that, suppliers can develop more authoritative than the buyers if they increase the switching costs on buyers and offer differentiated products and services. (Quickmba, 2010)

3.4 The Threat of Substitutes

The threat substitutes in the video game industry is lesser its overall productivity, unless a creature can differentiate through recital and an exceptional competitive advantage, it may have problem existing. Some of the replacement that exists in this industry is forms of activity such as film, live events, music, and participants in sports. However the existing structure of substitutes, the gaming industry has a tough incarcerated audience and not direct competition from other amusement forms are obvious, while they pretense modest threat to games market revenues.

However, in the future of environment trends and political force can be active as a deterrent for new entrants to continue competitive within this industry. Therefore, existing players in this industry are lessening the threats fairly by set up a physically powerful brand presence and feasible competitive advantage throughout its strengths. (Wikipedia, 2011)

3.5 Competitive Rivalry

The rivalry in the worldwide video game industry be able to extremely “strong and a zero sum game”. This is because of developmental expenses are quite high and many labels frequently make little revenue, with expansion companies relying leading blockbuster strikes for an extensive revenues flow. Although exit barriers continue moderate, the most competitors in this industry are related size market share, and dedicated to have an alert approach that dependent on minute diversification, which consequences in larger magnitude of rivalry. (Quickmba, 2010)

4.0 SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis is an extremely valuable tool for thoughtful and decision making for all sorts of circumstances in organizations. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT analysis headings provide a good framework for business planning, marketing, business or product development and research report. SWOT analysis also employment well in brainstorming meetings. (Owenr, 2011)

4.1 Strengths

Electronic Arts Inc has develop into the market leader in the video game distributing market and was ranked second between the Game Development Magazine’s Yearly Top 20 Publishers in the years of 2007 and 2008. It comprise quickly maintain topper market share with total revenues of $3,665 million in Final Year of 2008, accomplished through tough sales of Rock Band, FIFA , Need for Speed, and The Simpsons Game. In term of worldwide presence, EA enlarged its net revenues internationally. Furthermore, EA has consistently enlarged its costs in R&D over the past 3 years and EA’s R&D venture as a profit of sales are the one of the uppermost in this industry. Therefore, EA’s physically powerful investments in R&D has helped it to launch products faster on a consistent basis and resulted in greater revenue growth.

Besides that, Electronic Arts Inc has several strategies to expand more market share, such as digital download, using dynamic advertising technology, developing online game. Electronic Arts also use those strategies to extend its product line in many segments such as video game, online game and cellular handsets game. (Ken Nielsen, 2010)

4.2 Weaknesses

Electronic Arts Inc has some weaknesses is declining profit margins, lack of productivity and involvement by employees, and imperfect diversification in a single game engine policy for expansion of game labels. Another weakness is that EA has dependent on licensing agreements and manufacturers, so the video game hardware producers set the payment charge and extra charge that it must pay to distribute games for their platforms, and therefore have considerable persuade on its capability to eliminate significant revenues. Besides that, EA is unable to maintain the licenses to intellectual property, it will distribute excitement strike labels and its revenues will refuse and rivalry for this license may construct them more expensive and reduce profitability.

In addition, Electronic Arts Inc is respect to employee productivity and the employ of particular game locomotive in developed of its game. The feature ranks of games of EA’s PC games are poorer than its competitors. EA is locating a standard of 80% excellence completes to achieve on its core labels by 2011. Thus, continued dependence in mounting games on a particular game locomotive would negatively influence EA’s working performance in future. (Zushy, 2009)

4.3 Opportunities

The opportunities of Electronic Arts Inc are that it can capture a look to congeal its situate in the game industry. Furthermore, EA be able to maintain obtain smaller studios to expand its gaming labels in extra titles. For example, EA lately obtained BioWare and Pandemic Studio which produce adventure, battle, role playing games, and convey about 10 new academic properties. Afterward, EA preserve to target smaller developers that will bring it enlarge its online direct to consumer presence. By this way, the strategic acquisitions might add new teams and intellectual properties, which can provide the company a chance to further strength its worldwide distributor infrastructure.

Besides that, EA is respect to increasing demand for online gaming and downloadable. Through the internet usage is increasing, it causes EA to increase revenues from direct to customer sales and online advertising. Moreover, consumers are consuming more interactive activity than ever, which results in significantly changing spending habits over the last decade. For EA, they can continue expansion of gaming construction in the near future. (Zushy, 2009)

4.4 Threats

Besides the opportunities in market, related threats are facade via Electronic Arts Inc while enlargement of academic assets and elevated market riskiness outstanding to exchange rate fluctuations. In fact, the large segment of EA’s financial routine is extremely needy on delivering ‘hit’ on gaming labels that include major amounts of risk related with developmental costs. These issues characterize a huge threat for EA if its challengers expand more successful and offer competitive of products or services at lower price or based on payment form perceived as offering a recovered value proposition. Consequently, EA needs to lessen these threats by enduring to extend consistently high quality and established well in products and services, margins, its revenue. (Ken Nielsen, 2010)

5.0 Conclusion

The video game industry is growing day by day and the numbers of consumers also enhance. Even though EA is a head in video game industry, they still have many challenges that they should face and they also need to ensure that transitions their winning formula on online forum. Otherwise, they will possibility losing an opportunity to create and ascertain a leader sporting system of their own, and observe a decrease in packaged sales. EA’s recent conservative strategy is too alert on online enabling each individual game rather than creating a consistent infrastructure for each upcoming title to become accustomed. A consistent of the consumer is not only helping EA strengthens their online brand, but also creates a smooth and easy evolution for the users to test the packed range of sports games available. They having an aggressive strategy in place can obstruct anyone from offensive sports stranglehold.

Besides that, Electronic Arts Inc should continue its exclusive agreement with Sony, the likelihood of Sony emerging as an even more leading platform increases. Microsoft eventually stops construction of the Xbox, Sony would enjoy a virtual monopoly and in an immensely authoritative position to force its demands on EA. It is imperative that relatively well-built force remain in the industry to ensure the fairness of contracts and online revenue distribution.

Unfortunately, EA may think high disbursements are at risk of over investment. The online world is quite new and the critical direction that the market still unknown. The recommendation is to move forward and extend an integrated online presence for their online sports games requires a significant amount of monetary and human resources. EA should step up the development of their online sports presence, they are moving forward with an unproven strategy. This may work in their favor but at the same time they may not necessarily be delving into a market that will supply sufficient returns.

Finally, the Electronic Arts Inc’s goals and visions are not met without gatekeepers such as Microsoft and Sony have their own analysis of the future of online gaming and it appears if they want to inscribe the rules and keep the funds. EA should generate a situation that fulfills its own needs, as well as the console contributors. With the new generation of consoles only a few years left, broadband on the increase, the availability of middleware providers and the promises of digital distribution, they must join the foray in the soundest way possible. This is recommendation that EA step up their current online investment with the goal of creating standardized infrastructure in classify to leverage agreements with both Microsoft and Sony.