Gaming Market Research
Know your players. Shape better games.
Turn player behaviour into better decisions
From AAA studios to indie teams, the challenge is the same: make something players love, then get it into their hands at the right time, in the right way.
But the way players discover, choose and buy games is changing fast. Genres shift. Platforms evolve. Pricing models move on. And the purchasing journey has almost certainly changed since your last release.
So, whether you’re launching something new, rethinking your go-to-market strategy or picking apart a flop, gut feel won’t cut it. You need answers you can act on.
That’s where we come in. At Basis, we help game developers:
- Understand what players want
- Track how they behave
- Know where to focus next
We work across brand, product, retail, UX and creative to deliver insight that drives action.
It’s gaming market research for people who need to make real decisions, not just read another deck.
Our POV: The rules of gaming are being rewritten
We don’t just research the gaming industry. We live it. And one thing’s clear: what players want is shifting fast.
Escape used to be the goal. Now it’s meaning, identity and expression.
Today’s players want more than fun. They’re seeking experiences that reflect their values, struggles and dreams. Games like The Last of Us and Horizon Zero Dawn show how emotional depth and moral complexity are now at the heart of what draws players in.
AI is pushing that even further. NPCs aren’t just background filler. They’re responsive, dynamic, and increasingly indistinguishable from the player.
The result? Games evolving into open-ended simulations that feel uniquely personal.
Genres are breaking down. And players don’t mind.
From Hades, where roguelike mechanics meet rich storytelling, to Death Stranding, which feels more like a mood than a format, today’s best games blend tones, styles and systems that resist easy classification.
Even mainstream franchises are mashing things up. In Fortnite, crafting meets competition meets cultural event. These hybrid experiences are redefining what a “game” looks and feels like.
This demands a new approach from day one. It calls for research, testing and segmentation to really understand your audience.
We help teams stay ahead of these changes and design experiences that resonate.
Gaming market research matters more than ever
With all this at play, there’s no room for guesswork. Player expectations evolve quickly, development cycles are long, marketing budgets are high, and targets are even bigger.
From mobile pick-up-and-play to deep, immersive worlds, players expect more. Attention is harder to earn. Teams are juggling big bets across creative, UX and retail, often with little time or headspace to step back.
We cut through the noise and focus your team on what matters. With the right insight, you can:
- Spot emerging genres, play styles and behaviours through gaming market trend analysis
- Test concepts, features and storylines early with targeted video game market research
- Understand why players convert, drop off or stick around
- Optimise retail strategy with smart pricing, packaging and positioning insight
- Align product, brand and UX strategy around real player needs
From retail and D2C strategies to live-service models and global launches, every decision is stronger when it’s grounded in player behaviour, cultural nuance and market context.
What we help you do
We don’t believe in off-the-shelf frameworks or endless slide decks. We work closely with your team to understand the problem, then shape an approach that fits the challenge.
Track how people discover, research and choose games across retail, digital storefronts, subscriptions and live-service ecosystems. See how add-ons, packs and bundles shape the full purchase journey.
Go beyond demographics. Build segmentations based on mindset, motivation and behaviour — from hyper-competitive players to casual audiences and kid-focused segments.
Validate ideas through early-stage play-testing, concept development, UX feedback and monetisation testing. Spot issues before they become expensive problems.
Evaluate trailers, messaging and in-game creative. Understand how players respond, and where campaigns need to improve.
Track shifts in player behaviour, platform use, genre popularity and emerging models like AI-driven gameplay and service-based design. We use large-scale trend data, digital landscaping and cultural insight to help you see what’s coming — and where to play.
Questions we help gaming teams answer
Whether it’s for console, PC or mobile, most projects start with questions like these:
- Why aren’t players converting after trial?
- How can we create loyalty for our brand or IP?
- What’s the right pricing model for our title?
- Who’s our real audience, how big is it, and are we missing anyone?
- Why didn’t that trailer, reveal or showcase land?
- How can our IP or game latch unto meaningful cultural trends?
- Where are players dropping off in the journey, and why?
- How do we balance short-term results with long-term loyalty?
These are the questions leading publishers, developers, and hardware companies ask us. And we find the answers.
Why gaming market research teams choose Basis
We’re not just insight obsessives. We’re game obsessives. That means we get the pressure, the pace, and what’s at stake when a launch doesn’t land.
We don’t hand over a deck and disappear. We work with your team to make sure the insight drives action, from pitch to post-launch.
Here’s what we bring:
- A proven track record with top-tier studios and publishers
- Deep expertise across console, PC, mobile and cloud
- Award-winning teams in the UK and US
- Strategic, tailored approaches with no off-the-shelf frameworks
- End-to-end capabilities across qual, quant, big data and cultural insight
- The confidence to challenge when it helps, and the focus to move fast when it counts
We’ve helped launch icons, refine indies and rewire go-to-market strategies. And we’re always up for what’s next.
Pressure-test your next launch
Got a launch to nail or a challenge to crack? Let’s make it happen. Whether you’re building from scratch or rebooting a classic, we help you make confident, player-aligned decisions at every stage.
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