A new gaming report reveals a fundamental shift every brand should understand: great gameplay is just the beginning.
The multi-billion-dollar gaming market is being reshaped by three key forces: users demanding social experiences, developers embracing new models, and brands finding unprecedented opportunities in virtual worlds. However, despite these innovations, many gamers still cherish classic experiences and even use things like Counter-Strike 2 Hacks to enhance their play in established titles.
Here’s what this means for your marketing strategy.
1. Prioritize creative, social, and community-focused mechanics.
Players who prefer platform-style games rank customization and playing with friends as highly as gameplay itself; graphics are secondary.
This represents a major shift in what drives gaming success. While traditional AAA studios invest millions in high-fidelity graphics, players now value social and creative elements just as much as gameplay.
What does this mean for brands?
- Community over polish: Brands should prioritize experiences that enable social interaction and user creativity over high-production value activations.
- Authentic integration: On platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft, success comes from enabling player expression, not interrupting it.
The data backs this up. People aged 2 to 17 are 20% more likely than gamers 35 and older to play the games that are most popular among their peers. These aren’t just games anymore — they’re cultural hubs. For example, competitive games like CS2 continue to thrive, and players often look for ways to enhance their experience, such as exploring tools and hacks like those found at https://wh-satano.ru/en/cheats/cs2.
2. User-generated content wins as platform economies grow.
About 80% of gamers in Bain’s 2024 survey said they had played a game featuring player-made levels, modes, or items. In the same survey, almost half of game content creators reported spending more time creating than they did last year.
This shift mirrors what’s happening across all media. YouTube led all media companies in TV viewing time in May, the number of musical artists on Spotify earning over $100,000 annually has roughly tripled since 2017, and Substack’s paid subscriptions grew from 3 million in early 2023 to 5 million a year later.
Gaming platforms are building a new creative economy where users don’t just consume content — they build entire worlds, experiences, and communities.
3. Build multi-channel ecosystems, not just games.
Roughly a quarter of gamers’ time spent consuming other media is focused on game-related IP.
Gamers and fans are increasingly falling in love with universes, stories, and characters rather than a single entertainment format, which fuels cross-format success. In the six months after a movie or TV series adaptation is released, the original game’s average concurrent player count increases by 45%.
How does this impact your strategy?
- Think ecosystem, not campaign: Gaming IP creates sustained engagement across multiple touchpoints.
- Quality matters: High-quality, cross-media experiences drive meaningful engagement back to the core platform.
- Cross-platform opportunities: Successful gaming franchises create opportunities in film, TV, merchandise, and live events.
Key Takeaways
To stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape, brands must transition from traditional advertising to community-centric engagement. Here are the core strategies to help you build a lasting presence within these interactive ecosystems:
1. Embrace community and platform-first thinking.
Move beyond traditional campaigns. The winning platforms and experiences enable community, creation, and social interaction. Your brand activations should enhance these behaviors, not interrupt them.
2. Work with the creator economy.
The most successful platform experiences empower users to create, not just consume. Provide tools, resources, or inspiration that enables user-generated content around your brand.
3. Plan for cultural moments.
Major gaming releases like GTA VI deserve the same strategic planning as the Super Bowl or Olympics. Gaming is one of the strongest cultural currencies for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
4. Prioritize quality over quantity across channels.
If you’re extending into gaming-adjacent content or partnerships, invest in quality. Leading companies only pursue new formats that fit their brand and avoid overextending themselves.
