The customer experience (CX) is key across all industries. And gaming is no exception. While compelling narratives and innovative gameplay are of the essence to appeal to gamers, offering high-quality customer service is no less important for gaming companies to tower above the competition. In an industry weighing over $120 billion, pushing the frontiers of customer experience is one profitable avenue to explore to gain more market shares.
Many businesses within the gaming ecosystem are therefore using emerging technologies to draw in more clients. Others are enhancing their customers’ journeys by rewarding their engagement and loyalty. So, how is the gaming industry reshaping its customer experience? Let’s find out.
Increased customer engagement
Gamers can be one vocal crowd. And many studios have heard the message, rolling out platforms where die-hard fans of their respective franchises can express themselves. The studio behind massively popular games like Fortnite and Fall Guys, Epic Games, is actively seeking customer feedback with a polling system selecting random players asked to answer questions related to their latest session.
These player-driven answers help generate tags that inform fellow gamers of the content and playability of any title within the studio’s catalog. The MMORPG Old School RuneScape went a step further with regular polls allowing confirmed players to decide on the next features to add to the game.
The rise of the gaming streaming platform Twitch also revolutionized the gaming landscape for good. Developers regularly take to Twitch to advertise their upcoming products or live stream an existing game while responding to their viewers’ queries. Voicing their complaints or pointing out bugs and malfunctions, hardcore fans can therefore play a central part in the ongoing conversation about their favorite game. As a result, working with fans and increasing their engagement are powerful ways for game devs to affect gamers’ desire to buy their games.
Personalization
Getting personalization right can make all the difference for a business trying to stand out. And the gaming sphere is no stranger to these marketing tactics. Personalized gaming caters to users’ unique preferences, habits, and interests.
This strategy may include tailor-made recommendations based on a player’s online gaming history and past behavior, using artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze gameplay patterns. Pushed by new technologies, geo-location features narrow down the necessary information to deliver to a user based on their current whereabouts.
Customization is also in fashion within the gaming industry. User-tailored options heighten a game’s immersion by allowing gamers to generate a character that fits their aesthetics and inclinations. Role-playing games have long been miles ahead of the competition in the customization department, with the best RPGs around striking the perfect balance between unique character creation and freeform character progression systems.
Rewards
Devoted customers love nothing more than their loyalty to be acknowledged. Hence, many gaming studios repay that loyalty with exclusive rewards, such as Twitch Drops. This system is essentially a way to earn in-game content and loot by watching streamers play a game, resulting in increased engagement from an existing player base and inviting publicity for prospective players.
Additionally, incentives in gaming can take the form of spendable virtual currencies like progress boosters. Players may also get their hands on high-value rewards they can spend to level up, acquire equipment, or buy outfits to dress up their avatars. Some multiplayer titles like Fortnite roll out new batches of rewards to collect through season passes. Subscription-type programs like Amazon Prime Gaming allow members to claim free rewards from their partnered games.
Similarly, big players in the iGaming industry roll out the red carpet for their most seasoned users. High-roller gamers may enjoy special perks by joining VIP casinos with just a click or upon a site’s invitation. Such exclusive casinos reward their VIP customers with everything from juicier bonuses to a dedicated account manager and higher cashback percentages. As they make heftier deposits, players can move through different tiers of a loyalty scheme and unlock enhanced offers. Top-tier users might even land invites to special VIP events.
Surveys show gamers are inclined to pay extra bucks for a better customer experience. With leading companies with strong CX outperforming their competitors, the gaming industry has been at the forefront of innovation for customer experience. So, what will be the next trends to reshape the customer experience in the gaming sphere? From Metaverse initiatives to ever-so-accurate AI personalization, the game is on.