Which of Fanatical’s product innovations (Build Your Own Bundles, Mystery Boxes etc.) have had the biggest impact on customer engagement? Todd: Build your own Bundles are the biggest shake-up to how customers purchase PC games digitally since the bundle itself was popularised back in 2010. Our monthly bundles, such as the Platinum Collection that offers a choice of 3 games for £9.99, now put new titles in front of customers without forcing them to buy games that they will never play. Our customers spend more time on the page selecting the games they want, the publishers receive more royalties for each sale of their game and discoverability improves.
Fanatical has worked with thousands of publishers — what’s been key to building and maintaining those relationships? Todd: For Fanatical, trust and transparency have always been at the heart of our publisher relationships. In a market where many players choose to chase a quick commercial win, we have always opted to act with integrity. Publishers and developers trust Fanatical with their games, and it is our responsibility to take care of them, present them positively to the customers and provide open reporting and fast payment. It sounds simple, but the key is simply communication!
Matt: For us, the key to building relationships is always trust. Fanatical prides itself on being very transparent and honest with our publishing partners and establishing an open conversation which is mutually beneficial. We’re also all about supporting our partners in growing their sales
and presenting them with unique opportunities to do more with their catalogue, which is something that is always appreciated!
How do bundles serve publishers today beyond just driving revenue (e.g., discovery, player reach, catalogue reactivation)? Todd: Bundles provide a real outlet for publishers to find new players for their games and drive incremental sales on their titles. With over 100,000 games now available on Steam, it can be hard to stand out. As a comparison, a typical Fanatical Build Your Own Bundle contains 16-20 games to choose from. This drives a lot more engagement and discovery, particularly during that difficult period after the initial launch. Bundles were also seen largely as a way to drive sales of catalogue
titles, but these days, it doesn’t have to be the case. The way consumers choose games is changing - Fanatical’s most popular bundle now starts at offering two games for £14.99 and there are opportunities at a higher price than this for newer titles.
What do publishers value most about working with Fanatical? Todd: The great thing about working with so many publishers is that it is clear that every one is different! Some publishers value Fanatical’s ability to drive incremental game sales for their new releases outside of Steam and during our seasonal sales. Other publishers love that they can find new players for their catalogue through our bundle opportunities. But one thing that we hear time and time again is that publishers see Fanatical as the most creative and proactive retailer in the market with a wealth of opportunities to drive sales for their games.
Charis: A company can live or die by its honesty and integrity. Fanatical has both in abundance, and we are well respected within the industry. We talk straight and do what we say we are going to do, so publishers can rely on us.
How does Fanatical build loyalty and excitement around bundles beyond price — what keeps players coming back? Todd: Fanatical has built a strong and loyal community of gamers over the years and we’re honored that so many choose to keep coming back again and again. We have over 800,000 active subscribers on our email newsletter who are just waiting for the next deal, nearly 2 million followers across social media and a very vocal Discord group letting us know what they want!
Matt: We’re always pushing to feature bigger and better games in our bundles as well as offering exciting new themes for our promotions! We have something for every gamer these days, from anime to action - every customer is sure to find something they’ll love on Fanatical.
Todd: One thing that we really value is our customer feedback and we’re proud to have an Excellent rating on Trustpilot from over 80,000 reviews - this shows that we are giving our customers a great experience and a happy customer will come back to buy another game in the future!
What trends do you think will define the next five years of digital retail and bundles? Todd: As an industry, we have to continue finding ways to ensure that games end up in the hands of the players. Discoverability is becoming more and more crucial with the number of games launching growing every year and real estate on first party platforms becoming more and more challenging. Personalised experiences and recommendations based on gamers’
libraries and playstyles helps put the right games in front of the right players and the increased merchandising options digital retail provides really supports that. Gaming bundles have already evolved into a more premium option and they will continue to grow in importance as a tool to expose titles to a whole new audience.
What’s next for Fanatical as it heads into 2026 — are there new areas of discovery or formats we’re excited about? Todd: Of course, we’ll continue to offer players exciting ways to discover new games to play as our bundles, store sales and more get bigger and better. We’re looking forward to working with all of our partners on new titles and bringing new games onto our platform for players to discover. And as we continue to find ways to serve fans, we have also moved
into the world of digital comic book, tabletop RPG and more through our FantasyVerse brand. In 2025, we launched bundles of digital content around Halo, Attack on Titan, Traveller, The Witcher, Mass Effect and more, and we’re looking forward to bringing more new bundles out this year!
December/January 2026 MCV/DEVELOP | 17
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