2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

Brand equity is here defined as the added value that establishing a recognized brand name identity brings 

to an online game product, a series of interrelated game products, or directly to an online game 

developer, publisher, or distributor.  

From the consumer perspective, another way to look at brand equity is the degree to which an online 

game developer or publisher is successful in generating (ideally positive) associations, memories and 

experiences that a user identifies with their company or game brand. The more online game developers 

and publishers are successful in connecting these moments of positive interaction, whether as part of a 

given game playing experience or across multiple brands, the more they can grow their reputation and 

prominence. This goes for both the public at large and industry peers.     

Of course, a number of mitigating factors can come into play, whether due to flaws in game design or 

problems with a business plan, resulting in weak, inconsistent or non existent brands. Online game 

developers, publishers, and third party distributors can, however, follow certain key strategies for building 

brands, whether considered in terms of overall company identity or game titles they launch and promote.  

Although the main focus of this section is on achieving brand equity through game design, features, game 

upsells and promotion, a multi tiered strategy for achieving brand equity includes a solid plan for all of 

these areas: 

1. 

Making Games that  Stick    What game design features foster brand loyalty and help grow a 

company's reputation? 

2. 

Business Plan   What plans are in place for developing a brand focused business? 

3. 

Brand Equity Measurement & Analysis   What methods are in place for measuring and forecasting 

brand success? 

4. 

Intellectual Property   What investments have been made to protect intellectual property? 

5. 

Marketing / PR   What plans are in place to generate  buzz  around the games and the company? 

6. 

Interaction with Customer (where applicable)   Are interactions with your customers (e.g., 

customer service, direct mail) enhancing or detrimental to the brand equity strategy? 

 These factors are considered in greater detail below. 

1. 

Making Games that  Stick  

The online and downloadable games market is a mass audience, hits based market, and a developer is 

only as good as their last great title. That means it is essential to have the sensibilities necessary to 

create highly entertaining, enduring, and generally accessible content. In short, trying to make sure a 

game has what it takes to become a successful brand. Here are some high level considerations to take 

into account for making successful online games: 

a) 

Reputation 

Future success is partly based on a good track record. A developer or publisher should try to have a 

reputation for putting out consistently high quality, entertaining content. A customer who had a great 

experience buying and playing one game, is more likely to purchase and play games from that 

developer in the future.  

Other developers may attempt to capitalize on a specific niche. For example, PopCap Games might 

conjure associations with puzzle games because of a great track record creating entertaining and 

polished brands, such as 

Diamond Mine

 or 

Tip Top

.  

Other developers such as Skunk Studios are known, for building game brands around unique 

characters, given previous games with a strong character component, including 

Spelvin

 or 

Tamale 

Loco

. 

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