Bluehole: Bluehole’s spectacular success in the video game industry

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to analyze the phenomenal global success of Bluehole, a game development company, which became the industry sensation through the release of ‘PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)’. This success story begins with an environmental analysis that explains the special opportunity the company found, how the global game industry has grown, the history of Bluehole and the company’s turning point. The success of PUBG is unique and trendy. Targeting the global video game market, a local Korean game development company went through an array of difficulties from the planning stage to the launch of the game and beyond. Bluehole decided to develop this game in a short period of time, and they tried a new marketing strategy that was, up to that time, far from a successful game formula. The company used influencers from Twitch as a marketing channel for the game, they released an early access version through Steam nine months before the full release, and sold the early-released version at the same price as the official launch version. One more point to highlight is that this game is a great example in which mods (a game format) became a fully-fledged, incredibly successful type of game. This research not only presents the success factors but also discusses the challenges confronting Bluehole, and makes suggestions to help Bluehole successfully and creatively maintain their business. This case study provides a profound analysis of the video game market and the opportunities that companies, especially start-ups, can take in this fast-changing field.