FINAL CONCLUSIONS

There are a plethora of variables to consider when a game developer wants to begin a new project. Everyone wants to be successful, and in order to accomplish that in this industry, there are a few things to be aware of in particular.

Firstly, it is crucially important to be aware of current gaming trends. If a company wanted to release a chart-topping title in 2015, but their heart was set on a Platform game, they would have a harder time than if they were making the game in the 1980s at their height. The reality is that certain genres are simply not popular amongst gamers as a whole in the modern era, and while this is subject to change as demonstrated by the shifts that took place in the 1990s-2000s era of gaming, it is unlikely to occur because of a single title.

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It is also important to recognize that success is not solely determined by being the most popular genre. Even the genres of games that hold a small share of the market have respectable average sales figures, which means that the success of a game should realistically be measured relative to the other games on its playing field. As an example, the average sales for a Sports game in the 2000s was 1.5 million copies, so even if a game doesn't beat the 80 million of Wii Sports, if it exceeds the average it should still be celebrated.

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Publishers can also benefit from analyzing sales data. Even though they are not always responsible for the creation of the games, knowing where their biggest consumer base is located would enable an effective marketing strategy to drive sales in that region. Having an understanding of what types of games are popular amongst their consumers would benefit them as well, because when faced with a decision about publishing a certain game, they would have a general idea of how well that game might be received by their audience before they start dedicating resources to its production.

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Past sales can absolutely be leveraged to inform a developer how they might be most successful with their projects. A developer can see how games similar to theirs have fared in the past by looking at popular genres in a region, a time period, or on a console to determine the best course of action when deciding how they want their release to proceed. But at the end of it all, the industry is very dynamic, and new patterns will always emerge as unpredictable shifts in consumer activity are driven by factors beyond their control.