Developers
There is an organisational structure within the game industry;
each structure/sector has an influence on the organisation and the game
development. The structure begins with the most
important organisation which is the developers. Developers are
usually the ones who invest into the company and give their ideas for the game
for example the developer might have an idea of a sci-fi genre video game. It
is then the developer’s job to give the rest of the organisation an
idea of what the concept, assets and design might look like.
Developers can be independent or owned by a publisher a benefit of
the developer sector is that there is studios based around the nation e.g.
Manchester, Liverpool, Dundee and many other locations. However each studio
does very in size of the employees working within the development structure for
example some studios may have 100 while other studios could have fewer than 5
including the freelance staff.
In the developer structure it might also include
having to initiate a project and then pitched to a publisher if the
project isn't getting commissioned by a publisher.
Traditional PC or console games are usually funded from the publisher and can
take several years for it to be devolved although indie games such as 'moon
hunters' can be developed cheaply by individual/small developers.
Publishers
A publisher is a company that publishes the video game but this
sector is also responsible for promoting the game for example sharing the video
game on a popular social website such as Facebook or twitter, this will attract
millions of potential audience for the video game. They are also
responsible for marketing, distributing and financing the game title.
The publisher often finances the game by paying an external development or
paying staff in a studio. Although the publisher in the organisation doesn’t
have to distribute the game, they are able to hire companies or even larger
video game developers to distribute. Another job that is included in the
publisher sector includes being responsible for paying any licence that is
legally needed for the video game for example having to pay for localisation's;
paying for the game to adapt between languages and international
trades/relations. And a Licence might also be included for the layout,
printing, and the writing of the user manual including the graphic design
elements such as the box design. However each publisher sector might vary
within different organisations for example in a smaller organisation they might
not have as much responsibility as a larger organisation however all publishers
will have a similar job and responsibility within the sector which will
influence the product and finance management, marketing etc. An example of publishers includes Rockstar, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Blizzard, Activision. Each publisher has published a game for example Rockstar published the grand theft auto franchise, Electronic Arts published the video game 'Sims', Ubisoft published assassins creed, Blizzard was responsible for publishing world of war craft and activision published the call of duty.
Console Manufacturers/First Party Publishers
Console manufactures which is also known as 'first party publisher' are in the third sector in the organisational structure within the games industry, this is because the console manufacturers has to support the publisher and the developers on the platform.
Console manufacturers are nicknamed the gateway of the industry because this sector is responsible for making the hardware for the video game for example the most popular console manufacturers were Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. The reason console manufactures got this nickname is because this organisation gets to control whether they want to develop the game for a console. And are able to control all of the production progress due to having their own development company's.
It has power and influence on what gets released and which titles get priority marketing so basically the console manufactures 'opens the gate' for the video game. However some consoles make exclusive games for example sonic for sega or Mario and zelda for Nintendo. This helps keep the consoles competitive for example if every console published the same game their would be no need to change over the console.
There is two different types of distribution and retail for example there is a physical and digital.
Physical-
Distribution is when distributors deliver games direct from the warehouse to the retailer (Physical stores) such as the video game retail 'Game'. This is done through the publisher/distribution negotiation so the retail can locate shelf space and organise point of sale promotions so the public can then buy the game.
Physical distribution includes critical decisions like customer service, inventory, materials, packaging, order progressing and transportation between the ware house and the retail shops so it can satisfy customers satisfaction.
Digital-
Digital distribution is also known as online distribution. This is basically when games are being distrusted online via the internet through the consoles manufacturers and sites like steam or itch.io.
Digital distribution is less time consuming and more cost efficient because when distrusting online it cuts out the cost of having to duplicate the product including packaging. It also saves money because physical distribution means travelling between the warehouse and the retail store so its more cost saving due to not having to pay retail space or travel money. Playing games on smart phones such as apple or the android market and playing games online is emerging and becoming more popular as the years go on. This may mean distributing the game digitally might increase the customers and make it easier to update/add additional content to the game.
Outsourcing Companies
Outsourcing companies involves making an arrangement to get a service of a different companies. For example Outsourcing companies includes getting companies, publishers and services such as art, animation and design; rendering, graphics and physics engines and programming; audio and sound design; and localisation. Outsourcing is an effective way to save cost because it is sometimes more affordable to buy a service than to do internally.
Press and Media
Press and media is the last sector within the organisational structures in a game industry. This is because the press and media are providing the journalist output for example the press and media sector will usually mean when the game is being analysed by the public and is being reviewed. It includes having newspaper, magazine, websites and television adverts all about the final product which basically means that the game will be judged whether it is successful or an failure
above is an image of the organisational structure used within the game industry.