
// Development
How to Start an Online Video Game Store?
// Development
Video games are one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world economy, with combined income long exceeding that of the music and film industries. At the same time, as the experience of many startups shows, this industry is far from saturation. There is still plenty of room for new projects, including marketplaces. Therefore, in this article we will tell you in detail how to create an online video game store like Steam, what you need for this, what nuances you need to take into account and how much such development costs approximately.
Global video game market size by segment. Source
It would be wrong to choose games by direction - shooter, arcade, role-play, simulator, strategy, tactics or MMOG, since games can be downloaded from the marketplace built directly into the game console. There is simply no reason for players to look elsewhere for the game - it's harder, longer and often more expensive. Therefore, you need to lure people to your site in a different way.
For example, mobile video games are downloaded from the App Store and Google Play in almost 100% of cases, while console games are downloaded from the Playstation Store and Xbox Store. There is a small variety only on the computer games market, but the Steam marketplace dominates here, with a share of about 70%. The rest of the market is divided between the stores of major distributors and developers (Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and others).
Besides choosing a gaming platform, you also need to decide:
Number of players by region for 2020. Source
Therefore, in order to attract buyers to your online video game store, you need something else - a unique value proposition. The easiest option is to become the exclusive video game provider in your country or region. This practice exists in the MMOG and network games market, where you need not just sell discs, but create a network of servers for games in your region.
Another option is to offer players games with enhanced content. This is also a traditional practice: the player buys not just a game, but also several mods to it, which add bonus levels, items, locations, etc. You can create such mods yourself or outsource a game development company. In addition, the mods can be developed by the players themselves, and you will choose among the best and finance their finishing off.
Another option is to attract buyers with unique content. For example, you can review games and leave a button to buy them. You can also create news content, keep a blog on YouTube. You can also sell not only games, but also related merchandise: figurines, clothes, stickers, etc. A more difficult option is to make your own collectible editions of video games for their exclusive sale only in your online store.
What functions do online shoppers need the most. Source
Here are the things to add to the user panel of an online video game store:
When you choose a partner, you will go through the next development cycle with him: