Jarrah Al-Mansour
Although it has only been on the market for a short period of time, the online game PubG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds) has become a worldwide commercial success. Although livestream gaming-related research has been pursued in many parts of the world, there is dearth of research that links the interpretation of the kinds of strategy adopted that leads to the enormous success of such games. Approaching the issue from a Blue Ocean perspective, this research provides a critical interpretation of the correlation between the strategy adopted and the success of the online-gaming industry in general, and PubG in particular. Thus, the aim of this study is twofold: (i) to critically interpret the strategy behind the success of online game PubG; and (ii) to explore users’ perspectives and opinions towards this game. Our data is taken from multiple case studies that included 33 interviews with random users including both students and employees working in different areas of Kuwait’s public and private sectors. Our results showed that investing mobile platforms is one of the main ways in which competitive advantage can be gained as it acts as an excellent substitute for other platforms, including PCs and other gaming devices. Furthermore, PubG users worldwide offer excellent evidence of changes in consumer behaviour towards acceptable marketing tactics. Several factors that contributed to the success of PubG were identified which, based on these findings, may improve the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by the online-gaming industry and relevant marketing agencies.