At GamesBeat Next, three industry veterans joined forces to tackle a pressing question: in an age drowning in data, where will gaming’s next growth come from? Yoshio Osaki (IDG Consulting), Lisa Cosmas Hanson (Niko Partners) and Chris Han (Thinking Data) shared perspectives shaped by decades of analyzing global markets, revealing both challenges and opportunities in gaming’s turbulent present.
The data paradox
The panel opened with a sobering reality: mountains of data don’t guarantee insight. Han, whose platform serves 1,500 clients across 8,000 games in Asia, identified common pitfalls in data-driven decision making.
“Most of the metrics you build are one-time used,” he observed, describing elaborate dashboards that generate “fancy visualization” but stop short of actionable insights.
Han outlined three essential layers for true data-driven culture: leadership making every decision based on data, developing methodology that proves value through application and implementing proper tools with sustainable processes. He emphasized that Western studios often “burn out everything just for the launch day” then neglect ongoing live operations, missing crucial insights about player behavior post-launch.
Hanson, who founded Niko Partners 22 years ago to analyze Asian and Middle Eastern markets, stressed context over raw numbers. Her firm helps companies distinguish meaningful signals from noise across 13 Asian countries plus Middle Eastern markets, translating “the why behind the what.”
“The most important part of data is the context of that data and understanding what is true data and what is not true data,” she explained.
Where growth lives
When asked where gaming’s future growth resides, all three panelists pointed east. Hanson was emphatic: growth is concentrated in Asia and the Middle East, driven by distinct regional factors. Chinese mid-tier studios have achieved publishing excellence and expanded westward, reversing traditional market flows. Japanese companies emerged from Tokyo Game Show with notably stronger balance sheets and ambitions.
Government involvement emerged as a differentiator. Hanson noted that countries from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia demonstrate “devoted attention” to gaming as economic and educational driver — a stark contrast to U.S. policy. Beyond regional differences, she identified platform-specific opportunities, particularly PC gaming’s resurgence alongside continued mobile dominance in Asian markets.
Han struck an optimistic note despite industry pessimism, pointing to innovation in unexpected places like Turkey’s small studios creating super casual games with passionate, nimble teams. He described the current state as evolving, rather than declining, with AI-driven character interactions opening new gameplay possibilities.
Osaki offered qualified optimism: “near-term constructive, but long-term bullish.” He acknowledged broken models. particularly AAA publishing, require fixing. The math is stark: game releases have surged 300% while the market grows just 3-4% this year, creating discoverability nightmares. However, authentic growth drivers exist in UGC platforms, content creation, and community-focused ecosystems like Overwolf.
The IP-first future
Osaki identified a fundamental shift in player identity. Gen Z and Gen Alpha no longer define themselves by platform — “I’m a PlayStation gamer,” for example. Now they go by intellectual property: “I’m a League of Legends player.” This explains cross-media convergence as franchises like The Last of Us span gaming, television, and film.
“IP is becoming more important,” Osaki noted, “which explains why music and movies are trying to get into gaming and vice versa.”
This transmedia trend informed Hanson’s analysis of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund acquiring EA. Rather than viewing it purely financially, she sees strategic convergence of real-world sports, esports, and sports gaming. PIF’s portfolio, which includes Live Golf, tennis properties, and the Esports World Cup, suggests EA Sports fits a broader sports entertainment vision, distinct from Savvy’s Scopely acquisition.
The North Star question
When asked about key performance indicators, Han shared insights from Happy Elements, creator of hit game Arknights. Their “North Star metric” focuses on core gameplay retention — stripping away acquisition noise to measure whether fundamental mechanics engage players. This discipline meant abandoning projects despite significant investment if core retention disappointed. The approach enabled Arknights’ evolution from super casual to hardcore over several years while maintaining player loyalty.
Hanson contrasted Chinese and Western approaches to user acquisition. Chinese studios deploy dedicated teams that iterate daily across social channels, constantly testing and pivoting based on real-time results. “The user acquisition teams in Chinese companies don’t sleep much,” she observed, describing an intensity and speed distinct from Western practices.
Future-proofing advice
For companies navigating today’s turbulence, the panelists offered complementary strategies. Hanson emphasized perpetual market tracking and understanding pace of change: “Your game is probably not going to be published for the next few years, so what’s going to change by then?” She advocated diversification and legitimate, contextualized information to mitigate regulatory and market risks.
Han recommended practical iteration: start small, test early with limited content on social platforms, find “aha moments,” then invest in full development.
“It’s not a one-time thing. It’s a process. It’s evolving all the time,” he explained.
The panel concluded on a humanistic note. Osaki revealed he’s personally helping place 250 industry professionals who’ve lost jobs, successfully assisting 40 so far. In an industry wrestling with layoffs and uncertainty, their message was clear: data provides direction, but community provides support, and both are essential for navigating gaming’s challenging present toward its promising future.