Business Model Evolution in the Game Software Ecosystem

Abstract

More than ever, video game software companies operate within networks that share markets and services on common platforms. The Game Software Ecosystem (G-SECO) encompasses many different types of organizations, each maintaining a business model (BM) that enables them to effectively fulfill their role in the SECO. These BMs are not static. To assure a strategic advantage, organizations find themselves continually evaluating and adapting their BM. New technologies and changes in demand open up ways to conduct business and entice organizations to adapt their business models in order to secure or reposition their presence in the SECOs that they are part of. It is unlclear what this evolution looks like and how software organizations influence one another by adapting their business model. Furthermore, we know little about what the G-SECO looks like and how it influences BM-evolution for its members. This exploratory research provides insight on the effects of BM-changes within the G-SECO by investigating the evolution of business models within the video game industry.