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Failure to Launch in Two-Sided Markets: A Study of the U.S. Video Game Market

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  • Zhou, Yiyi

Abstract

In the dynamic two-sided market environment, overpricing one side of the market not only discourages demand on that side but also discourages participation on the other side. Over time, this process can lead to a death spiral. This paper develops a dynamic structural model of the video game market to study launch failures in two-sided markets. The paper models consumers’ purchase decisions for hardware platforms and affiliated software products and software firms’ entry and pricing decisions. This paper also develops a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach to estimate dynamic structural models. The results of the counterfactual simulations show that a failed platform could have survived if it had lowered its hardware prices and that it could not have walked out of the death spiral if it had subsidized software entry.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhou, Yiyi, 2012. "Failure to Launch in Two-Sided Markets: A Study of the U.S. Video Game Market," MPRA Paper 42002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:42002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Masakazu Ishihara & Andrew T. Ching, 2019. "Dynamic Demand for New and Used Durable Goods Without Physical Depreciation: The Case of Japanese Video Games," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(3), pages 392-416, May.
    2. Shanjun Li & Yiyi Zhou, 2015. "Dynamics of Technology Adoption and Critical Mass: The Case of U.S. Electric Vehicle Market," Working Papers 15-10, NET Institute.
    3. Xiao Liu & Alan Montgomery & Kannan Srinivasan, 2018. "Analyzing Bank Overdraft Fees with Big Data," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 37(6), pages 855-882, November.
    4. David S. Evans & Richard Schmalensee, 2013. "The Antitrust Analysis of Multi-Sided Platform Businesses," NBER Working Papers 18783, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Estimation; Failure to Launch; Two-Sided Market; Indirect Network Effect; Forward-Looking Consumer; Video Game Market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L68 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Appliances; Furniture; Other Consumer Durables
    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General

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