Student pricing is available for eligible university email holders. View plans

NextSprints
NextSprints Icon NextSprints Logo
⌘K
Product Design

Master the art of designing products

Product Improvement

Identify scope for excellence

Product Success Metrics

Learn how to define success of product

Product Root Cause Analysis

Ace root cause problem solving

Product Trade-Off

Navigate trade-offs decisions like a pro

All Questions

Explore all questions

Meta (Facebook) PM Interview Course

Practice Meta-focused PM cases

Amazon PM Interview Course

Practice Amazon-focused PM cases

Apple PM Interview Course

Practice Apple-focused PM cases

Google PM Interview Course

Practice Google-focused PM cases

Microsoft PM Interview Course

Practice Microsoft-focused PM cases

All Courses

Explore all courses

1:1 PM Coaching

Practice in a one-to-one session

Resume Review

Narrate impactful stories via resume

Guides Pricing
nextsprints logo

Not a member?

By proceeding, you agree to our Terms of Use and confirm you have read our Privacy and Cookie Statement.

nextsprints logo

Register to continue.

Login with Google Login with LinkedIn

By proceeding, you agree to our Terms of Use and confirm you have read our Privacy and Cookie Statement .

Company focus

NetEase
Product Trade-Off Medium Member-only

Is it better for NetEase to focus on developing new games or enhancing existing popular titles?

Prepared by NextSprints

12 mins
Report an error
Strategic Planning Resource Allocation Market Analysis Gaming Entertainment Technology Product Strategy Resource Allocation Game Development Portfolio Management
Product Management Trade-off Question: NetEase game development vs. enhancement strategy decision matrix

Introduction

The trade-off between developing new games and enhancing existing popular titles is a critical decision for NetEase. This scenario involves balancing innovation with maintaining current revenue streams. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining product strategy, user impact, resource allocation, and long-term business implications.

Analysis Approach

I'll start by asking clarifying questions, then identify the trade-off type, analyze the products involved, and develop a hypothesis. From there, I'll propose key metrics, design an experiment, outline a data analysis plan, and provide a decision framework before making a final recommendation.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

  • Context: I'm thinking about NetEase's current game portfolio. Could you provide an overview of our top-performing titles and their lifecycle stages?

Why it matters: Helps assess the potential of existing games vs. new opportunities Expected answer: Mix of mature and growing titles across various genres Impact: Influences resource allocation between new and existing games

  • Business Context: Based on industry trends, I'm assuming mobile games are a significant revenue driver. What's our revenue split between mobile, PC, and console games?

Why it matters: Aligns strategy with primary revenue streams Expected answer: Mobile dominates, followed by PC, with console as a growing segment Impact: Might prioritize mobile game development or enhancement

  • User Impact: Considering user retention, I'm curious about our player engagement metrics. What's the average daily active user (DAU) trend for our top 5 games over the past year?

Why it matters: Indicates whether existing games are maintaining player interest Expected answer: Varied trends, with some games showing decline and others growth Impact: Could influence decision to focus on revitalizing declining games or capitalizing on growing ones

  • Technical: Given the rapid advancements in gaming technology, what's our current capability to develop games using cutting-edge tech like AR/VR or cloud gaming?

Why it matters: Assesses our ability to innovate with new game development Expected answer: Some capabilities, but not industry-leading Impact: Might suggest focusing on enhancing existing games while building new tech capabilities

  • Resources: Thinking about our development capacity, what's our current ratio of teams working on new games vs. maintaining existing ones?

Why it matters: Indicates current resource allocation and potential for shift Expected answer: 60/40 split favoring existing games Impact: Helps determine feasibility of shifting focus without major restructuring

Subscribe to access the full answer

Image of author NextSprints

NextSprints

Updated Dec 3, 2024