Steam, Garena and Specialty Gaming Business Models (137)

This week’s podcast is about Steam and Garena, which are good examples of specialty gaming businesses.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes and Google Podcasts.Here are my criteria for specialty ecommerce businesses.Is the company sufficiently differentiated in the user experience?Can the company compete and/or differentiate in logistics or infrastructure without ongoing spending?Does the company have a strong competitive advantage in a circumscribed market?Is there a clear path to significant operational cash flow?Has the company avoided markets and situations that are attractive or strategic for the major ecommerce companies?---—-Related articles:Why I Really Like Amazon’s Strategy, Despite the Crap Consumer Experience (US-Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article)3 Big Questions for GoTo (Gojek + Tokopedia) Going Forward (2 of 2)(Winning Tech Strategy – Daily Article)Why Netflix and Amazon Prime Don’t Have Long-Term Power. (2 of 2) (US-Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Marketplace PlatformsInnovation and Audience Builder PlatformsSpecialty Gaming BusinessesGaming and Game EnginesFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:GarenaSteam / Valve---——I write, speak and consult about digital strategy and transformation.My book Moats and Marathons details how to measure competitive advantage in digital businesses.I also host Tech Strategy, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of the best digital companies in the US, China and Asia.Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show