IMiM 2 Internationul Masters in Manugement AcademicYear2006/ 2007

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION Katrina PANCIIOUT

F'ALL SEMESTEREXAMINATION Wednesdây20th December,2006 From 9.00to 12.00 NO documentsare âllowed A dictionary is âllowed(foreignstudentsonly)

,], :,:il . j :lpri5;'.",,Ï i ;r fl'iil'.';1,,i1 l;l T..ffi Eidos, â globâl publisher and .teveloper of .enrertâin

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ùàï:H1i::,:i#u{.: tuv tr,"""* up'g.JJl"*iii" . o g. * n^r" t ^, to be upgrâdeàioo, ". "o*"d-u" Derâvsâre not arways Erdos,sffi ii*:,Î:î*;: hunch of th.ee gâmeshad to r" a"uv"a i., zàôô.l.t recausesonywas"tateÀ iàùJing it, uuvst tionz. .: Thereis i strong ."r"tià""rrip t"r-""" *," ,, developm€nt tearn gets a game idea, a game È devel- ware ând t}|e hârd;âre. ".1The;ardware companies In thê fast movingcamesmâket, Eidosis commit ro consta.nt nervproducrdevelopment. It indirec"a y emprovsover 600deverop,.""t i,'""r'* 20 "i.n -'à or moregarneseveryyear. It takes two very expensiv€years to d€velopa g-ameThenormalsequence of eventsis that th€ gams

oped ând extensiv€lviested and then Eidos works oul howtosêll ir..tris rhuscssenliâlty â produfltêd processand mainly inremâlly orienrâred.The corn_ . advânrage of opporrurùties li"-1:: ]î-",k: ansrngrrom the markerptace, -:k: however Eidos gained the licence to produce rh" gu^" *."ion s1 "".put", the hir retevision quiz show }'??o wo,nts to be a MiUi6/tei,p? at the het9hr of its populârity. Ejatossold

need big gamesor else their consoreswill not sell_ , Thêy are took,ngâr rhe pn; ond qr"iil;rï;; garnes.They do nàt contrbute io garneoeveropnent cosLsa.uhoushthey w t supfry Ûreha.rawareror ûre devetopmenr process.Eiaoi is'aways rooting at ne* , haraware anà technoloey to tâke aavântage of, Uut waiLsunrit it is sure û,aiit rrasacnieveapenet auo. .. into a criticâl mass of homes betore aaopting ir. By

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fomânce, the compâny is untikely to reteâse â riird edition- The poor pedormanc€ rvâs felt to be par y .::"lW of Minionâire ând pârtiy du; ::"-:1r*_r3]lgtul-r'rnc new sames, such âs rhe one qâ,Ier:. :: Dasedon theïarrv 10 Pofter books (produced by Eidos' comp€t|rorDtectronicÀrsj There is onlu a linite amount of d,oII(Lr. m!'rketptace dnd-ûh,n ;;h"":;à;;'";: ,T ':: Patlprt .omps otons it ;;i;";;:;';,:;;'""* tik" ttiitlioûoitc (;r';. ;i;;;;;'î.9ÛnPs

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inro the pre,launcr, *a ro,in"r, t_rn""u gu-. i" oùt, rhe mediâ int€resr wanes"Jg"". ;d ùsing charftack repods Eidos lorows withint*io-nserswnetrer a gamc is a retâir whner o. not. r,âunch cosrsvâry, IulÙti;s âs high âs 51 rnn for a u( campaign.ths 1ri,; rnâi. .im_

advertisingwith rhe tlade ând then specialistprjnt ând terevjsionmediâ PR, both intemâl and ext€mal is arso vêry imponânl û/ithin broad pammêterslhe raun.h budcerrs dere'minedon â p€r'entasêorprÊdjclFd sares

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depends on whât else is being launehed at the sàrne I its launch coinciding wit}l the emergenc€of ràe time as a product, particula.rly livâ.l gâmes of th€ 'girl power' zeitgeist same genre. The success of a game âlso dependson . Tonb Raidzr appealsto a wider fffirily mffket rhâr what is hâppening in the wider eniertainment fietd. mighEfor instânce,only be buying a gârneor tR.o at Games are comp€ting for a mind shâre of the con Chistmâs ând its income faaititâtesother new prcd sumcr'sleisurebme. Thus iIa good fitm hasjust bêen uct developments.Pa.ramo|UJû's Torab Rcli.lêr Fln released, that cân have â negative €ffect on time wâs felt to hâve had â posirive impâcr on the bran4 spent gamjng,whereasif tàe weather is bâd during stimulatingawâren€ssârd interest in the games. the summet that can hâve a positi!€ effect. The retâil sh€Iî life of a PC or consolegamecjn be as For the future, emergingt€chrologies are ope(lrt up short as 90 days and most profit is made within this new possibilties, such as gamesdov/rûoâdedfrom the pedod. Given the porendal brevity of the product tife- intemet, gâmesdowdoaded aûd plâyed through inter, cycle; lead times betw€en ordering and pmducrion are âcti!€ televisiongamingchânn€)s,ând gùnes ptâyedon very short, â matter of dâys. Stock outs are rarc bùt nobile phones,but Eidosbeùer€sthât rhêrewil] âtways shoftlived, and axe most likely to occur abund the b€ a nârket for boÏed console-basedgamesbecauseit Christmas rush. The lifecycle can be exiended by representsa targible product ând is more ,rea.t,(d. real r€-rcteâsing æpacÏEg6'd-?ùréç1ùr-rBEtcF-urdÊr books vs on scleén text). Nevêrthele$, ihe size of the the Eidos 'Premier' bràrd nâme ât a budget vâlue, userbasefor t€l€vistois and mobile phonesfar exceeds for-moneyprice level.This câtchesthe new us€rsor laq- the siz€ of thè console market. Maxket ânalysts hâve gards Compilârions. i.e. pa.kâging a couplê ;f predicted that the wireless gaming mârket coulal be previoualy releasedtitlæ log€ther âlso works. cârlrcs worth S4bn by 2005.Commurications companiesand âIe sold at â standaxdtrade pdce âld it is up ro the Sarnede!-eloperEalike (inctudingDidos) are thl6 É!n8 retâiler to set a retail price from therc. There are stan, this ene4ing s€ctor seriously: . dard t €nchmarks for pricing in differcnr markets, Weare not WdW to tt ke on h;vd,-coregamer.sùt t . though there are no huge pricing differences Detween rhûe o,re a loon oî people uht woutn like to gel them, pârticularly as Didos do€snor want to encoùrage Torlb Rainer ûit]tiut haains to pa.AJor .t consotz. 'gI€1,imports' and upsetits retâil cùstomers! There is a larse base of people not intercsted in In ternrs of distribution chânn€ls,onee upon a tim€ t PCs ttnn t thÊUcan get the intenvt qTuJgdmes on ; speciâlÈÎ ind€pendent retailers we.e the lârgesr t bwing group, but th€ enhy of rctâilers like Virgin, their TV thga uouw be interested,. (D^id Harny, Comm€rcialMânager,Nokia HomeCo{ununicâtions. Gàne ând HMV y€ds in recent mean! rhat . most sales :: now come fmm High Street multiples. lnremâtionally, as quotedby Quick€,2001) i: exclusive distributorships âre sometimes âwarded in The interactive entertainment industry is stilt in its .l â padicrnax countly. The biggest European mârkets infancy, and Eidos young itself is a firm which feels , û€ Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Scandinaviâ. : Eidos hâs been one of the lâst compânies to get into that thê indtrstry hâs a b ght futùe: the interacûve : dtect sâl€s ovù the intemel. The UK does, however, experienc€ has very few limiis, its app€âl will never supply mail order and onlme salescompâniês. Every new prcduct is a gùnble and successcânnor .. : : be guarànteed.One of Eidos' biggest succ8ses, howi ever,has be€n ?nù.Rotder.Eidos wânted a ditr€rcnr t _.- 9etionrhâxact€r and so vrent for a sêxy female, Lâra :, :, Croft. The gamet enormous popularif took the comi r !àny by surprise. Eidos believe that while many '1 fêttors contdbuæd, a m4jor factor mây be that male :-il. fuls hâvê developed an ernotionâl bond with Lar4 âIl elêmenl.oI proLe.riveness,.aring for her', in rhe player's mind. Interestlngly,Lara also appcars ro

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.i. ' As welt âs the prodùci benefits of entertahmenr, i l': elcitement ândteiting prcbieln-solvingskills, merewere - èvemlother factoE il the successof ?orià Àaùer: :

t rts superior technologywhich it hâs managedto retâin from Tornb Raid,er I tlroush io ?omà fiatder 4, thùs keeping alead of the competition; r the Lara appeâLthis hâs led to an urban m''th that there aæ secret codes bùlt into the progran r€latmg to sex. It's not truel