Publications

April 1995 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Power Play (B): Sega in 16-bit Video Games

Home video-game systems were pioneered by the U.S. company Atari in the mid-1970s. After going through boom and bust in the early 1980s, the industry was resurrected in the mid-1980s by the Japanese company Nintendo. With its 8-bit video-game system, Nintendo... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Competition; Video Game Industry; Japan; United States

May 2008
Teaching Note

Urban Video Game Academy: Getting in the Game (TN)

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Teaching Note for [807122]. View Details

February 1995 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Power Play (A): Nintendo in 8-bit Video Games

The home video-game industry began in 1972 with the founding of Atari. After riding a dramatic boom and bust in the early 1980s, most players left the business. Nintendo of Japan then rebuilt the industry--establishing a commanding worldwide position by the end of the... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Lawfulness; Competitive Advantage; Monopoly; Video Game Industry; Japan

21 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

The $15 Billion Question: Have Loot Boxes Turned Video Gaming into Gambling?

Camp. That same year, the US Federal Trade Commission said it would investigate loot boxes, which critics liken to a slot machine or a scratch ticket that's more accessible to children. The video game... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis; Video Game; Video Game

February 2024
Teaching Note

Axie Infinity: Video Game Meets Blockchain

By: Marco Di Maggio

April 1995 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Power Play (C): 3DO in 32-bit Video Games

The 1980s were the "Nintendo" decade in video-games, while the early 1990s saw Sega rise to prominence on the basis of next-generation, 16-bit technology. By early 1994, Nintendo and Sega split the worldwide installed base of 16-bit home video-game systems about... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Competition; Product Marketing; Video Game Industry

May 2008
Supplement

Hasbro Games -- POX (A) and (B), Supporting Video

By: Elie Ofek

The video contains advertisements and media related clips regarding the launch of Hasbro's POX handheld game. View Details

Keywords: Media; Advertising; Product Launch; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

August 2021
Supplement

The London 2012 Olympic Games Video Supplement

By: John T. Gourville

February 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Golden Age of Home Video Games, The: From the Reign of Atari to the Rise of Nintendo

Details events in the home video-game industry from the late 1970s until the early 1990s. Tells the story of the rise and fall of Atari Corp., the dominant player in arcade and home video games in the 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, Atari became the fastest... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Value Creation; Change Management; Marketing Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Video Game Industry

2007
Other Unpublished Work

Effects of Inventory on Demand for Rentals in the Home Video Market

By: Ioannis Ioannou, Julie Mortimer and Richard Mortimer

Retailer inventory decisions can greatly influence observed demand for a product by affecting, among other things, product availability (stock-outs) and product visibility in the store. These inventory decisions are affected by numerous factors including vertical... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Demand and Consumers; Supply Chain Management; Competition; Contracts; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

July 2024
Case

Google Stadia: Game On or Game Over?

By: Derek C. M. van Bever and Akshat Agrawal

This case explores Google leadership's decision to pursue its cloud gaming innovation, Google Stadia, following disappointing early uptake by premium videogamers, the segment of the market that Google had targeted. Google had invested substantial resources and time... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Product Development; Leadership; Segmentation; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Video Game Industry

Jun 2004
Conference Presentation

Marketing Sequels Of Creative Goods: The Case of Video Games

By: Anita Elberse and Marco Bertini

September 2003 (Revised September 2004)
Case

Hearthside Homes

By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman

Investigates the "controllability problem" inherent in bonus systems. Ideally, an incentive system accurately measures performance in areas that the individual can control. But most measures are either too broad, including factors outside the influence of the employee,... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Housing; Performance Evaluation; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Real Estate Industry

April 1995 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Home Shopping Network, Inc. (Abridged)

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

Home Shopping Network invented the video home shopping industry. It had immediate success in both the product and capital markets, which quickly drew imitators. This case describes the situation as of January 1986, when the company must decide how to sustain successes... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Financing and Loans; Supply and Industry; Product; Strategy; Competition; Valuation; Telecommunications Industry

March 2008 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Sony PlayStation 3: Game Over?

By: Elie Ofek

Outlines the challenges faced by Sony with the launch of its PlayStation 3. Information on the 2006 and 2007 holiday seasons and the success of rival consoles is outlined. In addition, the case allows examining the costs and revenues associated with a business model... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Cost; Revenue; Product Launch; Sales; Competition; Hardware; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 1984
Supplement

Banc One Corp. and the Home Information Revolution: A Conversation, Video

Find at Harvard

October 2016
Case

Supercell

By: William R. Kerr, Benjamin F. Jones and Alexis Brownell

Supercell is a young Finnish smartphone game company with an unusual team structure and company philosophy. It is already one of Finland’s most valuable companies, and despite being only six years old, it has put up some impressive numbers: as of 2016, it has released... View Details

Keywords: Supercell; Finland; Video Games; Firm Structure; Startups; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Groups and Teams; Video Game Industry; Finland

August 2015 (Revised May 2016)
Case

Riot Games: Can Culture Survive Growth?

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Norris

In 2015, Riot Games, the maker of the top PC game League of Legends, considers its growth strategy as it moves into a new campus in Los Angeles. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Culture; Organizational Behavior; Video Games; Culture; Strategy; United States

March 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Supply Chain Close-Up: The Video Vault

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

The owners of the Video Vault struggle to determine the optimal stocking levels of home videos in an industry fraught with new technology, new pricing paradigms, and stiff competitive pressure from large national chains. Teaching Purpose: To demonstrate the role of... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Competition; Motivation and Incentives; Price; Technological Innovation; Service Delivery; Entertainment and Recreation Industry