How data is the key to gaming loyalty in an era of endless choices

February 19, 2025

When I was a kid growing up in the 90s, getting a new game was a big deal. I was lucky if I got one new game per quarter, and when I did, it felt like Christmas morning (I guess for one of the quarters, it was Christmas morning). I’d tear open the plastic, pop the cartridge into the console, and spend weeks immersed in that one game. It didn’t matter if it was a masterpiece or a dud; it was my only option for the next few months, so I played it until I knew every pixel by heart.

Fast forward to today, and the gaming landscape has transformed dramatically. Between Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Amazon Prime and Epic’s freebies, and free-to-play titles, I'm drowning in amazing games. My gaming library has (d)evolved from a carefully curated collection of games I’ve mastered, to an endless backlog I’ll get to... eventually?

Even my six-year-old daughter has practically unlimited access to kid-friendly titles thanks to her Amazon Kids+ tablet subscription (plus, freeloading off my Game Pass subscription). She’s in first grade and her game library already dwarfs the entirety of my childhood collection. It’s all a bit weird.

This abundance creates an interesting paradox. Having hundreds of games at your fingertips sounds like paradise, but it's introduced a new challenge: choice paralysis. Worse yet, it's become increasingly difficult to stick with any single game when there's always something new and exciting to play.

The problem is compounded by modern game design trends. As a dad juggling a full-time job, two kids, a wife, and various hobbies, I simply don't have time for 60+ hour games anymore (Baldur's Gate 3 earned a special exemption from this rule). Too often, I find myself abandoning games either because they're too slow to get going or because something newer and shinier has caught my attention.

And I’m not alone. According to Xbox completion achievement data, only 25% of players completed Diablo 4’s 26-hour campaign,15% completed BG3’s 70-hour campaign (I’m a proud member of this 15%), and 15% completed AC Valhalla’s 60-hour campaign.

So, how do we fix this? How can developers and publishers encourage players to stay faithful? Sure, it’s crucial that the game is brilliantly designed, insanely fun, or sprinkled with addictive mechanics. But I suspect the biggest untapped potential lies in leveraging gameplay data.

Back in my SNES days, any gameplay data was saved on the cartridge itself, kept alive by a little CR2032 battery. Today's connected gaming landscape is an entirely different beast. Nearly every gaming session generates a wealth of data, whether you're grinding through a massive live service like Diablo 4 or enjoying retro-styled 8-bit indie games like UFO 50.

Gaming data might just be the most comprehensive behavioral dataset on Earth. We can track what games people play, how they play them, their frequency of play, where they get stuck, their skill progression—the possibilities are endless. Here are just a few ways this treasure trove of data could be used to increase player loyalty:

1. Recommend the Next Game to Try: One way to get people to stick with games is to get them playing games they will love! Many genre-based recommendation engines currently exist that recommend games based on the genres in your library. But imagine a system that goes beyond checking boxes like “RPG” or “Platformer.” Instead, it looks at what modes you’re gravitating toward, how much time you spend exploring side quests, or how quickly you tackle a tough boss battle. A truly personalized recommendation engine that says, “Hey, you are a really mechanically gifted Elden Ring player, check out this hidden gem.”
2. Help Players Over In-Game Humps: We’ve all abandoned a game after a particularly frustrating experience (I’m looking at you Nine Sols). All these game abandons and what caused them are recorded. If we can identify that pain point in real-time, we could (carefully) prompt that player with a tip, an item, or a reminder that difficulty settings exist for a reason (though this one might hurt).
3. Draw People Back: Games evolve after launch. New updates roll out, gameplay is tweaked, bugs removed, and expansions dropped. The gameplay data collected on each individual reveals which aspects of the game they enjoyed the most and which they barely touched. So, when that brand-new expansion adds an area that they would love, a targeted notification or email could let them know, “Hey, the next part of the game has all the stuff you loved—come check it out!”
4. Personalize Rewards: Gameplay data can be used to create personalized achievements built around an individual and their play style. These achievements can then be rewarded with in-game content, currency, or just badges they can show off to friends. Gamers are so creative with how they choose to play and succeed in different titles. This individual style should be celebrated and rewarded.

While the era of unlimited gaming choice may have complicated player loyalty, we now have unprecedented data that can help analyze and enhance it. By leveraging player data thoughtfully across owned channels: apps, emails, and in-game communications, combined with meaningful recommendation and reward systems, we can help players find and stick with the games that resonate with them.

In this new gaming landscape, perhaps loyalty isn't dying—it's just evolving, and we need to evolve our approach to cultivating it. Because simply making a good game might not cut it anymore.