Why Diversify - you may ask yourself.
Part of what makes diversification an attractive strategy for so many game developers and publishers is how it helps to manage risk while enabling growth. Like Fortnite, RiftBound hopes that instead of hanging on the success of a single hit title or worrying about piracy and revenue streams going dry after launch week, companies can have steady income by offering a variety of games across genres and platforms in their niche to different target audiences. This also lets them experiment in new markets and gain more players as a whole, leading to better engagement rates out of the gate.
Focusing on Unique Player Verticals
Target Different Player Segments - The ability to segment your player base is one of the fundamental advantages in diversifying game portfolios. By releasing games in more flavors that caters to different tastes, devs can hopefully get a broader audience and better the odds at success. In a similar thread we could imagine, say if the company had casual mobile games and hardcore PC titles in addition to family-friendly console games existing within its portfolio which would tailor for gamers of varying gaming habits and preferences.
When you think about it there are worse things in the scope of events than getting into a new number and direction.
It also encourages game developers to try out new genres and platforms. However, by entering the uncharted territory of another category/industry exposes them to adopt a completely new market and it could be theoretically huge in terms of appeal. This can result in fresh and original games that cut through the noise to turn heads when it comes out. On top of this, bringing existing games to new platforms lets the developers keep their IPs alive and penetrate more markets.
Maintaining Player Engagement
Developers can also keep players engaged for a longer period of time by having more variety in their games portfolio. The thing about adding new content and experiences, too, is that they are constantly updating the game to give players more of something different. That last part is especially vital in the era of live service games, as regular updates and content drops are essential to keeping a playerbase invested--and therefore spending money on your game for months or years to come.
How to Diversify Your Game Portfolio
There are many different methods developers and publishers can use to diversify their game portfolios successfully including:
Diversifying genres and themes - Releasing a number of games across a spectrum of different genres and styles can increase your chances in capturing more audience attention, but creates risk reliance on one genre.
Re-platform existing IPs: By taking successful intellectual properties and re-platforming them, developers could be in a position to scope new audiences or simply extend the lifetime of their games.
The external studios: Teaming up with game developers outside the business is an excellent way of bursting new talent, ideas and resources to facilitate exploration into fresh genres or markets without holding alone in all nuances.
Embrace new technologies: Developing games that are compilable with a range of gaming technology and players to engage in these experiences (VR, cloud game streaming) will help developers stay cutting-edge as well as attract people who want to experiment with their video gaming habits.
Conclusion
One common and necessary strategy for any game developer or publisher eager to thrive under the ever-evolving landscape of video games, is quite simply broadening their horizons through diversifying their portfolio. Through a combination of adding player interests, new genres and platforms, or keeping current players stick around by following the trends, companies can lower risk while maintaining rates for growth in long-term success. Developers should invest in multiple genres, adapt IPs from other franchises when necessary, work with third-party studios and build on the new technologies; that will help them to maintain a well-rounded portfolio able to reach every player segment they can think of while also helping them secure more commercial ground for years ahead.
That is what everything else sits on top of.
