A Theoretical and Empirical Study of Platform Strategy in the Video Game industry

• Project/Area Number: 23730401
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Commerce
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: KENICHI Ohkita 香川大学, 地域マネジメント研究科, 准教授 (60367513)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: 家庭用テレビゲーム / プラットフォーム戦略 / コーペティション戦略 / 知的財産権 / 業界団体 / コーペティション / 企業間関係 / ソフトウェアの不正コピー / プラットフォーム選択

Outline of Final Research Achievements

1) We analyzed coopetitive strategies of game software firms dealing with intellectual property rights. We find that joint associations are useful to cooperatively combat software piracy. The amount software firms invest without such associations is lower than ideal. This research has been published in an international refereed journal.
2) We used game theory on coopetition with joint and cooperative advertising strategies using two pairs of complimentary firms. We find coopetition is more beneficial depending on the size of the market. This research has been presented in an international workshop. The economic model needs to be reworked for the research to be suitable for a refereed journal.
3) While writing a review of “Asian Entrepreneurship” I found an opportunity to expand on its treatment of Japanese firm relations using inter-firm agreements in the early Japanese video game market. This research is a work in progress. I expect it to be submitted in the near future.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Leo Paul Dana (ed.), Asian Entrepreneurship: Five-Volume Set. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage, 2015. 1760pp. (2015)
  • Author(s): Kenichi Ohkita
  • Journal Title: International Journal of Business and Globalisation Volume: Vol.14,No.4 Pages: 483-493
• [Journal Article] Coopetition and coordinated investment: protecting Japanese video games' intellectual property rights (2014)
  • Author(s): Kenichi Ohkita; Mahito Okura
  • Journal Title: International Journal of Business Environment Volume: Vol.6, No.1 Issue: 1 Pages: 92-105
  • DOI: 10.1504/ijbe.2014.058025
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Platform Selection of Video Game Software in Japan: Some Empirical Results (2013)
  • Author(s): 丸山雅祥・南川和充・大北健一
  • Journal Title: 神戸大学大学院経営学研究科ディスカッション・ペーパー・シリーズ Volume: 2013・18 Pages: 1-19
• [Presentation] Direct or Indirect Co-opetition between Affiliated Firms in the Video Game Market (2014)
  • Author(s): Kenichi Ohkita; Mahito Okura
  • Organizer: 6th Workshop on Coopetition Strategy "Coopetition Strategy and Practice"
  • Place of Presentation: Umea, Sweden
  • Year and Date: 2014-05-22 – 2014-05-23