Qualitative insight will help you understand how
players act within the game, and go deep into what is resonating with players. This typically includes observation of gameplay (to allow you to understand how players are interacting with your game), and post-playtest interviews (to explain the behaviour we’ve seen, and understand player sentiment). We run these in playtest labs to ensure that the data gathered is subjected to minimal bias, and help produce evidence that the team (and investors) can trust. Quantitative data will help us scale the opinion
and behaviour we’re encountering in qualitative 1:1 playtests. This can often be run remotely, to allow us to reach tens or hundreds of players simultaneously (and many platforms allow you to implement custom APIs to minimise the risk of leaks). Scaled player feedback is often gathered via a survey (which we know will be biased due to being self reported), but we can use our qualitative observations and interview data to put together a holistic picture of player’s behaviour and sentiment. Benchmarks will also help with scaled feedback.
Numbers by themselves can be meaningless ( Is an average player rating of 7/10 good or bad? Is it good or bad if 20% of people said they would wishlist this game), and by drawing comparisons to data from other titles we can give meaning to the data we’ve gathered.
CREATE A STABLE PRODUCTION ROADMAP This qualitative playtest data will not only help answer the immediate question of “what do players like about
the game”, but also allows your development backlog to be inspired by evidence based decisions, creating clarity and making production less chaotic and cost less. Being able to demonstrate the potential to iterate based
on evidence will help build confidence in your team - that you are responsive to audience needs, and have what it takes to deliver a game players love (and investors often describe they are investing in the team - not the game!)
MAKING IT EASIER FOR INVESTORS When speaking to investors at conferences, the challenge they describe is uncertainty. How do you identify which titles have the potential to succeed, and which teams are able to deliver on the potential of the genre. Quotes, video clips and stats from playtests (such as
“85% of players said they would recommend this game to a friend”) will make a strong case for investment and creates a more persuasive pitch. I’ve seen teams use the evidence from pre-production
playtests to successfully secure funding, by making the conversations evidence based (rather than relying on ‘vibes’), and presenting a compelling story supported by qualitative and quantitative playtest evidence. This helps your game stand out as a less-risky investment, and makes investment decisions easier.
Steve Bromley supports publishers and studios across the UK & Europe to level up their playtesting process, and support games throughout development. Learn more, and get his guides to playtesting at
gamesuserresearch.com
October/Novemberr 2025 MCV/DEVELOP | 45
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