Final Game Marketing/Business Plan – Grand Theft Auto V
See the attached files
Final Project: Create a marketing/business plan – for your own game concept, or based on an existing released game.
While it’s ok to have your plan focus primarily on a business plan for a new studio/start up developer rather than an individual game, franchise or series, please make sure it covers key marketing topics from Appendices 2 and 3 in the book for the course:
Note: From Appendix 2, your project does not need to cover “Game Performance Targets” or “Estimated Marketing Spending Budget.” It should cover the other sections of this appendix.
If your project is based on an existing, shipped game from a real game studio, it would be best to have you write about how you would run the business and market the game.
If you decide to summarize the plan that the studio used, that's fine too.
Paper should be written in professional, business style, not informal or conversational.
The more polished and professional you can make your report, the better – i.e. including references to industry data.
Please proof your work carefully at least 2 times.
Format
Upper left corner: your name, email address, department and year
Double spaced
Approximately six to ten pages (longer is fine too)
Sections to include in your paper (please have headers for each section below):
Set Up / Situation Analysis
Paragraphs providing background information for the plan. Refer to the book appendix
3 posted in the Files section of Canvas for more info.
Fundamentals
- Elevator Pitch
- Positioning Statement
- USP
- Key Game Info
- Style of Game
- Target Audience
- Price
- Planned Platforms
- Channels
- Planned Release Timing
- Publisher or Self Publishing
Key Goals
One to five goals in bullet point format.
Strategy
Overview paragraph(s) describing the strategy and rationale for this strategy.
Timeline
Table or graphic showing how the plan would roll out leading up to the game release along with post release plans.
Plan Details by Vehicle / Tools
For example, if your plan will include PR, social media and events, have subheaders for each of these categories and provide details on how the team would execute these initiatives.
Post Launch / Sustaining
Paragraph(s) describing the post launch plans.
Instructor
Course
Date
Finale Game Marketing – Business Plan – Grand Theft Auto V
Set Up / Situation Analysis
Grand Theft Auto V, or GTA as it is famously known, is a game that continues to attract a lot of attention throughout the world. The GTA series of games was developed by Rockstar Games, a label founded in 1998 (Rockstar Games, 2022). Rockstar Games is one of the most renowned game developers in the world. However, the label is currently fully owned by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO), a company whose market capitalization or value stands at $17.744 billion (Fortune, 2022). In the Fortune 500 list, Take-Two Interactive Inc. makes the cut but is ranked at position 770.
As a label under TTWO, Rockstar Games has excelled in producing some of the most beloved games in the world. Among the games this label has produced, GTA stands as one of the most popular, if not the most popular, game series it has ever developed. First of all, it is crucial to note that the GTA game was the brainchild of David Jones and Mike Dailly. David Jones and Mike Dailly are credited for starting Rockstar Games in Edinburg, and slowly, the game grew to unforeseen heights. Currently, the GTA game is a series that includes several games that were produced in different years. These games include GTA, GTA II, GTA III, GTA Vice City, GTA Double Pack, GTA San Andreas, GTA Advance, GTA Liberty City Stories, GTA Trilogy, GTA Vice City Stories, GTA IV, GTA Episodes from Liberty City, GTA Chinatown Wars, GTA V, GTA Online, and GTA The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (Wojton, 2022). Each of these games attracted millions of gamers around the world who were willing to pay a lot of money to be a part of the GTA community. For example, GTA V is considered one of the best-selling video games in history. Clement (2022) notes that as of 2022, GTA V had sold over 170 million units globally. The graph below shows the sales progress of the game.
Figure 1: Unit Sales of GTA V
For those who desire to play GTA V, having a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Also, a person can also play the game online.
Fundamentals
Elevator Pitch
GTA V is an interesting game that depicts a society in chaos. The game is centered on three protagonists who decide to team up to commit a heist (steal money from Union Depository) in pursuit of survival in the city of Los Santos. However, the three, Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips, find themselves entangled with a harsh criminal underworld that forces them to adopt an aggressive approach to survival. In a bid to successfully carry out their heist, the three have to pull off smaller heists, fight, and even kill at times.
Positioning Statement
GTA V is a game that sought to revolutionize the gaming world and chart a path that few could at the time. First, the game introduced more than one protagonist, and each of the three characters has a different personality. This was indeed a revolutionary move. Secondly, GTA V came with an online component whereby gamers could interact with other gamers in the world. Thirdly, GTA V offers gamers a myriad of activities and missions. For example, a gamer can break from the missions and play tennis, cycling, or even scuba diving (Sawera, 2021).
USP
The one that makes GTA V unique and special is its use of three characters. As already indicated, these three characters have different personalities, therefore, gamers have different experiences every time they use either character.
Key Game Info
The game boasts upgrades that had not yet been seen in the gaming world. For example, the highly advanced graphics feature 4K resolution (Rockstar Games, 2022). The loading time is faster, the audio is impeccable, and for those who like to play the game online, there is a universe to conquer.
Style of Game
GTA V is a game that entails a lot of action. A gamer is expected to complete missions as per the level one is in. After the successful completion of a mission, the game allows one to progress to other stages. Also, one chooses to either play the game from the first-person point of view or a third-person point of view. Finally, the genre of the game is action. However, a gamer can also choose to explore other features that entail roaming outside the set missions.
Target Audience
According to Apolinario (2022), the GTA V demographics are mainly made up of young people between 18 and 34, forming the game’s target audience. However, people aged between 35 and 54 are said to also play the game and make up about 29.34% of gamers (Levvel, 2022). These two age groups make up the prime target for GTA V.
Price
The price of the game differs depending on a gamer’s desired platform. For example, if the platform is PC, the current rate is $19.99. On the other hand, Grand Theft Auto V PlayStation 4 is selling for $29.99, which is similar to the edition that runs on Xbox.
Planned Platforms
GTA V is on different platforms, including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 4 + Remote Play, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S (Indian Express). The company has released the game on a different platform to ensure that clients have various choices. This is also instrumental in allowing clients to use their existing gaming hardware to install the game. In the future, GTA V will be on more platforms as the demand arises.
Channels
The business uses offline and online versions of the game. The offline version is majorly on PCs. Here peop...