Video games – UOI Games (Openclassroom)

Market Segmentation & AAA Strategy

Fictional

12/06/2025 > 17/07/2025

Context

I was commissioned by UOI Games (fictional), under the supervision of Juliette (lead for the “Triple A” project), to identify the most relevant market segments for the development of a first AAA video game.

My role was to:

Formalize the business need and define requirements (SWOT & PESTEL).
Explore market trends (historical sales, performance, opportunities, platform shares).
Design and run a survey targeting a gamer panel to validate segmentation hypotheses.
Propose strategic and financial recommendations (2026–28 financial model).

Datasets

All_publish_VideoGame_2022.xlsb – list of games (RAWG) with metadata and critic scores, provided by UOI Games (440,896 rows × 67 columns)
VideoGame_Sales_1980-2016.xlsx – historical sales data (16,545 rows × 13 columns)
Vente de console_2022.xlsx – console sales volumes (20 rows × 4 columns)
External sources: Kaggle – Steam Games Dataset 2025 (88,899), Steam and Steam Spy raw datasets (66,414), Metacritic video‑games data (11,762), Metacritic’s Best Games and Reviews – 2025 (13,442), Gaming Preferences and Habits Player Survey 2024 (500 records), Steam Hardware Survey (April 2022) (25 records).
Personal survey: 22 responses to 13 questions

Workflow

SWOT & PESTEL: analysis of Political, Economic, Sociocultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors, and strategic review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats between the concept and current market.
Cleaning & preparation: pre-processing in Power Query (removal of empty columns, deduplication, typing), then refined in Python (NaN handling, normalization…).
Exploration:
- Analysis of sales and review trends (total sales, Metacritic/Steam scores).
- Segmentation by genre, platform, age group (via survey) and geography.
- Correlation testing to validate links between variables (rating vs sales, genre vs preferences).
Questionnaire: created an online survey (13 questions, 20+ participants) to refine understanding of expectations (age, gender, platforms, styles).
Financial forecasts: built a 2026–2028 plan – budget (€30M), pricing (€49.99–€64.99), sales forecasts for PC/console, DLC, maintenance – and calculated gross margin.
Recommendations: developed business guidelines (target 25–34 y/o, solo, pricing, viral marketing, green partnerships, integration of new tech) and built a Business Model Canvas.
Visualization: created a synthesis dashboard to present all detailed analyses and research.

Insights

Key SWOT: eco-conscious concept and generative AI as differentiation vs new IP and tight budget.
PESTEL: strong market growth (+2.8 % in 2024), favorable regulatory environment (CIJV), but DMA/AI Act and GDPR constraints.
Sector trends:
- Cumulative sales (1980–2016) concentrated on 10 % of titles (Pareto effect).
- Platforms: Steam leads with > 60 % market share, consoles rising post-pandemic.
Survey: panel (22 responses) shows that 80 % of 25–34 y/o gamers prefer immersive solo games, and 50 % favor eco themes.
Financial forecasts:
- 2026
  - Ventes: 100,000 PC units, 0 console
  - Base game revenue: 100,000 × €52 = €5.2M
  - DLC revenue: €0M
  - Gross margin: €5.2M – €24.0M = –€18.8M
- 2027
  - Ventes: 50,000 PC units, 100,000 console units
  - Base game revenue: 150,000 × €52 = €7.8M
  - DLC revenue: €0.7M
  - Gross margin: (€7.8M + €0.7M) – €8.0M = +€0.5M
- 2028
  - Ventes: 20,000 PC units, 50,000 console units
  - Base game revenue: 70,000 × €52 = €3.6M
  - DLC revenue: €0.3M
  - Gross margin: (€3.6M + €0.3M) – €1.5M = +€2.4M
Recommendations:
1. Target 25–34 y/o on Steam via Steam Next Fest.
2. Offer Standard/Deluxe editions with –10 % launch promo to boost wishlists.
3. Build “green” partnerships (WWF, Greenpeace) for viral storytelling.
4. Prioritize streaming-friendly gameplay (spectacular moments) and allow AI to be disabled.
5. Use a Business Model Canvas to align resources and partners.

Business Impact

This project enabled UOI Games (fictional) to:

Build a complete strategic analysis (SWOT/PESTEL) to frame AAA development.
Support the business case with solid financial forecasts and a viable business model.
Identify the priority segment (eco-conscious solo Millennials) for an optimized launch.
Set up a repeatable process for survey-based market segmentation.