Xbox is a video game brand that comes under the banner of Microsoft as it was developed and introduced under Microsoft’s name in 2001. The video game console was first released in 2001 but is now available and enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. It has a series of gaming console releases in the sixth, seventh and eighth generation. The brand has different applications and streaming services associated with it as well. The latest console released under the brand is called Xbox One X.
It is very evident that Microsoft entered the gaming market with a well-planned strategy and succeeded in gaining its position in the market by becoming one of the most known brands in gaming around the world. They created their competitive advantage in the industry through these strategies. They worked intensely on product development, identifying that it is very crucial to their products standing out. Microsoft Xbox Company kept on bringing improvements and innovation in their products to stay in the competition to become the leader in the gaming industry and they did that by introducing their highly liked product called Microsoft Xbox 360. With much development and research put in in their new product they were able to improve the processing power, graphics and other services like Xbox Live, which made their product more effective and was well received by customers. They further enhanced the experience for players by making gaming interactive through streaming services.
Microsoft implemented another strategy to keep their customers involved with their products by offering games to their customers that they could play through their consoles. For that, Microsoft aligned their strategy with a deal with EA games to develop games and they made their games accessible through their consoles. This added to their revenues and also kept their customers within the company instead of switching to a competitor. Many more alliances were also made by Microsoft in order to improve the overall experience for players and this added to their competitive advantage.
Through Microsoft Xbox, the users experience TV integration where they are able to enjoy more than just gaming through their Xbox products. By using Xbox console connected to their TV, users can now enjoy all the other features offered through Microsoft’s alliances, for instance live streaming, Netflix and other interactive services where they are able to connect and interact with other users sitting all around the world. So the users are able to enjoy integrated services in their living rooms through one console. This is something that even their biggest competitor, Play Station wasn’t able to provide so these features definitely makes Xbox stand out in such a competitive market all around the world.
However, it should be noted that with the fast pacing world of technology where everything is about the cloud now, Microsoft may lag behind and lose some of their market if they do not innovate in that matter.
References
Angel Wings of Xbox. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://angelwingsofxbox.wikidot.com/competitive-advantage-on-the-xbox
Frick, W. (2014, August 11). Three Strategy Lessons From the Latest Round of Xbox vs. PlayStation. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from https://hbr.org/2013/11/three-strategy-lessons-from-the-latest-round-of-xbox-vs-playstation
Microsoft’s Xbox. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://teamxbox.wikidot.com/marketing-strategies
Xbox | Games and Entertainment on All Your Devices. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from https://www.xbox.com/en-US/