電競電腦產業廠商之經營與發展策略分析—以微星公司為例

Abstract

由於PC線上遊戲講究的操作技巧與畫面細膩度不斷提高，電子競技為「傳統運動」與「休閒電玩」之交集，其將傳統體育結合資訊科技之應用，近年來漸漸被民間大眾與官方機構視為一種正式的運動競技，此外網路直播平台的蓬勃發展，使得電競賽事能夠快速接觸到世界各地的玩家，並逐漸愈來愈具規模化。近年來隨著虛擬實境（Virtual Reality, 簡稱VR）、擴增實境（Augmented Reality, 簡稱AR），甚至是混合實境（Mixed Reality, 簡稱MR）的興起，亦讓電子競技有了更多樣的發展可能性。因此為了提升玩家的遊戲體驗，操作遊戲的硬體需要更高的規格，包含電競專用的主機板、處理器、顯示卡等，而這塊高毛利的利基市場亦讓許多廠商紛紛跨入電競領域，期待能為不斷衰退的PC市場帶來新動能。 本研究對象微星科技過去以生產主機板與顯示卡為主，卻不敵市場的嚴峻考驗，在面臨不斷虧損之下，毅然決然轉型成國內最早進入電競領域的廠商，經過一連串遭受質疑與反彈的變革後，微星掌握電競電腦產業的關鍵因素，包含產品間差異化程度、規模經濟與絕對成本優勢以及資本需求，一甩過去陰霾成為全球電競筆電龍頭。然而，面臨愈來愈多競爭者投入經營自身電競品牌，本研究認為微星針對目前領先的電競筆電事業，需要應用其關鍵能力，加上創新研發技術來加強產品差異化，以塑造更鮮明的品牌特色。而在市佔率相對落後的顯示卡與主機板事業，面對不斷萎縮的一般性市場，微星應該專注於電競專用類型，不僅能夠藉此獲得較高的毛利，亦能提升其在電競領域的專業形象。最後，對於同時擁有其他產品線的微星，為了因應未來的科技發展趨勢，如：5G、AI人工智慧等，亦需要持續利用這些多元產品線，將各項產品拓展到更多場域上應用，進而打造出更能結合日常生活的生態系。 本研究先透過產業五力分析以及產業競爭者的分析，經過個案對象研究後歸納其擁有的資源與能力後，探討各大主要事業因應未來愈趨競爭的市場，將如何應用其競爭優勢成為市場上長期的領導者。

eSports is the intersection of 'traditional sports' and 'casual video games'. It combines traditional sports with the application of information technology. More and more people and official organizations hold it in high regard. Besides, with the rapid development of the online streaming platform, eSports tournaments can quickly reach players around the world, and gradually become large and international. In recent years, the addition of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and even Mixed Reality (MR) has made eSports has more possibilities. Therefore, higher hardware specifications are required, including motherboards, processors, graphics cards, etc., and this high-margin niche market has caused many manufacturers to enter. As the subject, MSI Technologies mainly produced motherboards and display cards at first. However, with the continuously financial loss, it decided to become the first domestic manufacturer to enter the field of gaming. After a serious of revolutions, MSI has mastered the key factors of the industry, including the degree of differentiation between products, economies of scale and absolute cost, and capital needs. Therefore, it has become the global leader of gaming notebook. However, as more and more competitors are actively operating their own gaming brands, this study believes that for the current leading gaming notebook market, MSI should apply its key capabilities, coupled with R&D innovations to enhance product differentiation and create more distinctive brand features. Being face with the shrinking general graphic cards and motherboards markets, MSI should focus more on the gaming product line, not only to obtain higher gross profit, but also to enhance its brand image of gaming. For MSI, which has other products and services at the same time, in response to future technological development trends, such as 5G, AI, etc., it is also necessary to continue to use these multiple product lines to expand more field applications. Finally, MSI will create an ecosystem that is more integrated with people everyday life. This study applies Porter’s five competitive forces model to analyze gaming computer industry. After summarizing MSI’s resources and capabilities from the case study, we explore the issues of how can MSI apply its competitive advantages to become a permanent leader in each competitive market.