The SuperJoost Playlist is your new weekly guide to all things gaming, tech, and entertainment, curated by business professor and author, Joost van Dreunen. This week marks a significant milestone with the unveiling of an exciting new initiative that explores the evolving landscape of interactive experiences.
After years of meticulous planning and development, the moment has finally come to lift the veil on this new venture. Since stepping down from SuperData in 2020, I’ve spent my time experimenting with various projects, including writing a book and embracing several advisory roles. Helping other companies succeed is rewarding, but nothing matches the thrill of creating something from scratch. With the premature shutdown of SuperData by Nielsen, the logical next step seemed to rebuild it, but I knew we had to push beyond that.
The end of SuperData coincided with a huge shift in the gaming industry. The pandemic triggered a surge in consumer spending and highlighted how online environments are becoming crucial for meaningful human interactions. While some had already recognized the significance of digital experiences, by 2021, it was clear to everyone that these can be profoundly impactful.
Rebuilding just another version of SuperData felt redundant. We had foreseen the shift from physical game products to digital services years ago, but the market had evolved considerably. Success was no longer measured by ‘units sold’ but by ‘active monthly players’ and their spending habits. This evolution required new types of data and analytics.
The market for data services transformed as well. What was once a niche area with only a handful of providers has expanded into a diverse ecosystem, from live-streaming analytics to audience surveys. Analysts and gamers alike have grown more sophisticated, with a plethora of free data now available. Gone are the days of rudimentary infographics; today’s landscape is rich with daily reports from investment banks, consultants, and even hobbyists.
The consumer-facing side of the gaming industry has also evolved. Gone are the days of explosive growth in smartphone-based gaming. The App Store’s golden age has passed, and platform holders now act more like landlords, with industry consolidation reducing the market to mega-platforms and tiny indie developers. The mid-range studios are being squeezed out, setting the stage for a significant market disruption.
Our new company aims to champion the concept of games as platforms. This idea has gained traction over the years and is now beginning to take shape as the industry pivots toward 2025. This era isn’t just about professional teams creating interactive experiences. It’s about games serving as the foundation for a myriad of online activities, with play being just the beginning.
To illustrate this transition, imagine three stages in the evolution of gaming. Initially, players engaged in single-player experiences with physical products sold in stores. Success was measured by consumer spending. The next stage saw games as a service, emphasizing multiplayer experiences and online interactions, with success measured by player engagement and spending. The upcoming phase envisions games as platforms—digital realms where play serves as a gateway to broader social and economic activities.
If you resonate with this vision, you’ll agree that measuring dollars alone isn’t sufficient for making creative and strategic decisions. Online interactions are nuanced, necessitating a broader range of metrics. Our new endeavor will focus on capturing these complexities, diving deep into audience behavior beyond just purchases.
Game developers, publishers, and platform holders are finding new ways to connect with their communities. The quality and recognizability of content have become key differentiators in a crowded market. For instance, CD Projekt turned around its fortunes post-Cyberpunk 2077 by engaging deeply with its community, while Nintendo has expanded into theme parks and movies.
Interestingly, non-endemic companies are entering the fray as well. The New York Times has forayed into mobile gaming, toy makers like Hasbro and LEGO are exploring immersive online experiences, and even Disney sees the potential in investing in interactive worlds.
These shifts signify that a generation has grown up socializing online, raising intriguing challenges and opportunities. What’s next for the intersection between physical and digital entertainment? Companies like Nintendo are pushing boundaries with new forms of engagement, while Apple and Meta aim to lead the way in virtual reality and spatial computing.
Understanding that games are now pivotal to online and digital interactions, and instrumental in driving innovation, our new venture takes a holistic approach to interactive entertainment. We harness data-driven insights to help creative firms and consumer brands map critical digital behaviors like play, watch, connect, create, and spend. Over the past two years, we’ve built a robust team and data infrastructure, conducting successful tests with major and emerging gaming firms.
Stay tuned as I delve deeper into these developments in the coming weeks. Exciting times are ahead, and I can’t wait to share more insights with you!
We’ll be back with our regular industry updates next week.
