ANALYZING FACTORS INFLUENCING IN-GAME PURCHASE INTENTION OF VIRTUAL ITEMS: CASE STUDY OF PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUND MOBILE (PUBG-M)

• Main Author: Briliana, Regita
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/57254
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Gaming industry grow rapidly due to consumers changing behavior into online gaming and downloadable content. In gaming industry, the highest-earning game in the world is PlayerUnknown’s Battleground Mobile (PUBG-M), a battle royale game genre. PUBG-M players spending mostly come from China and United States. Indonesia are a potential market for PUBG-M. This study aims to know factors influencing PUBG-M in-game purchase intention of virtual items. Not only that, this study also examining loyalty towards the game relationships to factors that could influence in-game purchase intention. The findings will be used to give recommendation to PUBG-M game developers a better approach to Indonesian users’ in-game purchase. A quantitative survey were conducted among 338 respondents who have purchased PUBG-M virtual items and using Partial-Least Square (PLS) - Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze relationships between variables and purchase intention. The result indicates that game satisfaction, loyalty towards the game, social relationships and self-image, good price, character competencies and playfulness significantly influences ingame purchase intention directly and by mediating variable. This study also finds that loyalty towards the game mediates factors influence in-game purchase intention. In order to increase PUBG-M profitability and seize revenue opportunities, this research recommend PUBG-M developers to build marketing strategy based on users’ intention to do in-game purchase. By enhancing users’ game satisfaction and loyalty, also virtual items’ playfulness and character competencies, while also support user’s social value and lowering the in-game purchase price. The findings implication of this study are aimed to support PUBG-M developers in determining which marketing strategy should be implemented considering Indonesian users in-game purchase intention.