Special Column – Executive Viewpoint
‘Executive Viewpoint’ features exclusive insights from industry leaders shaping the future of mobile games. Have a perspective to share? We invite experts to contribute. Reach out to us at editor@gamingonphone.com.
I’ve spent 15 years working with brands, with 10 years of my career in creative advertising, and currently in my 5th year in the video game industry, working on global brands: producing the concepts for the production team, working on the product’s marketing, and presently in my role of working on case studies. Here are my thoughts on “what’s next”.
At Gameloft for Brands, we’re doing something unique, which is trying to define how brands can work with game developers and test the bounds of their creativity. We are building a library of case studies of what’s possible, addressing the biggest barrier between Games & Brands: The lack of understanding & clarity of the impact of creating digital products.
Case studies help brands evangelise within their organisation. We are borrowing some best practices in the brand world and applying them to our video game company. This year, we’ve unlocked new ways to tell our story across key industries, focusing on the angle of BRAVERY. Through bravery stories, brands are empowered to learn more about their own impact story. “Why do you even work if your work is not exciting?”
A good indication of a great case study is the enthusiasm behind it, people working with joy to unlock something new. This aligns well with our DNA; we like taking the step further. Our case study work is tied to something bigger, a shift that’s about to happen. Where a world of traditional advertising is collapsing, a new world is being built on top of it. More interaction, digitally-native, more rewarding, and more gamification on EVERYTHING.
Evolution of Gaming Brands and Addressing the Modern Economy
Thanks to the amazing work of the Gameloft for Brands team, our work consists of brands from different industries, ranging from FMCGs, IP Creation (entertainment), toys & family, automotive, institutions, and more. You can find more on our website starting mid-2026.
But before that, let’s zoom out and see the macro situation. My view is that it’s never a one-size-fits-all; it’s more of a process of extending the brand’s unique DNA into an experience, and done with a long-term mindset.
Our world is restructuring and consolidating, some examples: Netflix, a digital library of movies is announced to bid and purchase Warner Brothers & HBO. Spotify, a music library, thrives by using data to match our music tastes. MTV died in 2025. Coinbase will inevitably tokenise the stock market, moving from fiat currencies to Internet money.
There is a mega trend surfacing; digital libraries are being built on top of the old world. Today, we get up in the morning and check our phones. Here’s a list of libraries inside your phone: Drivers (Grab / Uber), Friends (Facebook), Colleagues (Microsoft), Art (Photoshop), Music (Spotify). The list goes on. In the blink of an eye, everything changed all at once. It feels like a rolling recession, but technology is peaking. It’s deflationary.
Digital Consolidation: From Cost Collapse to Platform Thinking
Think about the battery, which used to cost 100x more 100 years ago. But like electricity, it’s essentially free today. Wifi? It’s free. Calling someone is free. Gaming? Yes, it’s free too. All of the above are technology costs that were drastically reduced over time.
As creative people, we know when a big idea is in the room, you can’t see it, but you can feel it. The role of digital technology fixes a lot of old-world “plumbing problems” where longer processes are being consolidated by digital technology. Therefore, building a library of anything is a step towards trying to become a platform.
When we explore the idea of digital libraries for games, who is succeeding? Cross-platform hosts like Steam, Roblox, and Fortnite. Tech is moving faster, but culture is catching up. The games created are not lost in obsolescence; they are consolidated and woven into someone’s user experience, and a culture is built on top of it. Video game companies can either play the same cross-platform game or find their own USP to succeed.
Exploring the Complimentarity of Games & Brands as a Mega Trend
We aim to solve the pain point of clarity on how we can help brands tell their impact story through their digital transformation. When we explore the idea of digital libraries for brands, there are a lot of barriers: Brands have a multi-layered approval process, and gaming companies are not equipped to navigate this territory. Brands often dream of creating gamified experiences but have not found case studies to support their investment.
Trends for Games for Brands
Library thinking: Visibility & accessibility through digital libraries for games. More cross-platform, more games create interoperability through different kinds of devices. More case studies.
Digital layer applied over the physical world or Games in the physical world: Brands will go for more OOH Gamified Experiences like Playable billboards or Vending machines. Around 50+% of the internet activity these days is synthetic or driven by AI or Bots. Putting an advertisement online has a lot of leakage to synthetic engagement; brands cannot fully justify whether their engagement is coming from a bot or a real human. Through Out-of-Home vending machines or interactive billboards, it’s about creating a rewarding experience where the centre is the game instead of an IMC communication message. Attach the game to a different medium, instead of a mobile phone, and it’s a totally different experience. The best thing is, it’s provable and not synthetic engagement.
Games as digital extensions of a brand’s modern values: Alignment with modern values matters more than ever. Brands’ missions have a huge opportunity in extending their modern values, and instead of just watching or talking about it, brands can create genuine engagement and love through games. I’m not just talking about the usual DE&I modern values or sustainability ideas. Being close to the ground, a down-to-earth approach that talks about today’s actual economic situation and finding ways for the everyday person to make ends meet is a home run, fulfilling your job and also solving a problem of your consumer in more ways than one.
Blockchain will slowly find its way into the gaming ecosystem: In this economy, video game companies that manage to create a digital twin of their effort through crypto will unlock the market of crypto wallet holders. When the US Clarity Act on crypto passes, the rest of the world will follow. Currently, cryptocurrencies have only penetrated some institutional support from financial markets, but as soon as it’s accepted, retail will follow and will flow into ad campaigns & live rewarded events.
Conclusion
Games for brands are in their infancy stage. Pay attention when technology drastically reduces the cost of something and is used by the everyday person.
Navigating the new world is more about who you are becoming rather than what you’ve already done in the past. Are you the uncle who says AI or crypto is a scam or unsafe? Or are you trying to understand it?
Be Down-to-earth. The world will never go back to the way it was, being aligned with the new needs and focusing on building a system that’s digitised is highly valuable.
Most people have a “wait and see” outlook for 2026 and prefer to keep their heads under the sand. You can be that person, or be a digital plumber in your organisation and start connecting the dots.
The shift in integrated marketing messages into digital products provides more impact in the long-term.
Suggested reading: