From Concept to Launch, & Beyond: How Game Testing Supercharges Success

Market Opportunity

Exploring the potential for new games requires sizing and understanding the potential market. By conducting market opportunity analysis, we help developers identify emerging trends and innovative areas to explore, evaluate audience demand, and estimate the commercial viability of their ideas. This phase often involves quantitative surveys to gauge interest and qualitative interviews to explore player preferences and pain points.

Understanding the market opportunity means we can make strategic recommendations to developers about which genres, themes, or mechanics to prioritize, ensuring their games have the best chance of success.

Concept Validation

Early stages of game testing focus on concept validation to ensure the fundamentals resonate with potential players before commitments are made to the game development. This phase typically involves presenting early sketches, character designs, and plot outlines to target audiences, allowing us to uncover the reliability, overall mood or general appeal of the early concepts.  These sessions, often conducted as focus groups or in-depth interviews, both IRL and online, are designed to gather initial reactions and feedback from potential players to effectively steer further game development in the right direction.

By validating the fundamentals, we can make recommendations to developers that aim to better align the game with player expectations, reducing the risk of costly revisions later. 

Concept Testing

Slightly further along the development cycle comes concept testing, which is crucial for evaluating new game ideas at various stages of development. This process involves presenting preliminary concepts—such as character designs, key art, or plot outlines—to target audiences and gathering their feedback. We use these insights to identify key audiences, understand perceptions, and refine unique selling points.

For example, early-stage feedback might reveal that a protagonist’s design is unappealing or that a game’s storyline lacks originality. By addressing these concerns early, developers can avoid costly revisions later. 

Through a combination of quantitative surveys, focus groups, and analysis, we equip developers with a comprehensive view of how their games are perceived and how to position them effectively.

Overall, market understanding provides a clear foundation for game development, ensuring that resources are put to making a game that will stand out in a competitive landscape.

Asset Development

The development of game assets - think characters, environments, and art styles, benefit - significantly from player feedback. Testing these elements ensures they appeal and align with the game’s tone and vision. We present sketches, prototypes, or animations to player focus groups to evaluate their impact and appeal.

Feedback during this stage can guide decisions on art design, character attributes, or environmental details, ensuring that assets contribute to a cohesive and engaging player experience. Testing assets iteratively allows developers to refine their designs, creating a polished and immersive game world.

Playtesting

Playtesting is a critical phase that involves pre- or post-launch builds in the hands of real players. By observing how they interact with the game, we can identify issues such as confusing mechanics, unbalanced difficulty levels, or unintuitive controls. Playtesting sessions often combine hands-on gameplay with group discussions, providing rich insights into the player experience.

Remote playtesting has become increasingly popular, enabling us to gather feedback from diverse demographics worldwide. These sessions reveal trends in player behaviour and provide actionable recommendations for improving gameplay, usability, and emotional engagement.

For more insights into playtesting, read our blog post: 5 Playtesting Techniques Every Developer Should Know.

Pre-Launch Assessment

Testing marketing assets such as box art, promotional trailers, and launch campaigns is essential before a game's release. Pre-launch assessments ensure these materials effectively communicate the game’s value and attract players in the target audience and beyond. We use focus groups and online surveys to evaluate messaging, visuals, and overall impact.

For example, if players find a trailer underwhelming or packaging misleading, we can give developers the insights to make adjustments to align with audience expectations. Refining marketing assets pre-launch helps create a strong first impression, driving interest and boosting sales.

Post-Launch Effectiveness

Post-launch evaluations measure a game’s performance in terms of awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. These assessments identify opportunities to optimize future campaigns and enhance player retention. By analyzing metrics such as player satisfaction, brand perception, and market penetration, we can assist developers in refining their strategies for sequels, updates, or new titles.

Post-launch research also uncovers insights into player experiences, highlighting areas for improvement and ensuring the game continues to meet audience expectations.

Player Understanding

Detailed player profiling is essential for understanding behaviours, needs, motivations, and experiences. By focusing on player retention, we identify what keeps players engaged and address factors that might lead to churn. This stage involves surveys, interviews, and behavioural analytics to build a comprehensive picture of the player base.

Profiling helps developers tailor their games to specific demographics, ensuring a more personalized and satisfying experience. For instance, understanding the preferences of casual players versus hardcore gamers can guide decisions on difficulty settings, content updates, and in-game rewards.

Game testing is an essential component of the development process, offering valuable insights from early concept testing to post-launch evaluations. By integrating player feedback throughout the process, developers can refine game concepts, enhance gameplay experiences, and optimize marketing strategies. This player-centered approach increases the likelihood of success, helping games stand out in a competitive market.

Why Choose Bryter for Game Testing

At Bryter, we specialize in providing actionable insights for video game developers. Our expertise spans various platforms and genres, allowing us to deliver comprehensive services such as early concept testing and market sizing, playtesting and player behavior analysis, and post-launch evaluations to measure brand equity and player satisfaction.

Our annual Female Gamers Survey highlights trends, insights, and statistics about female gamers, helping developers build more inclusive and appealing games for this growing audience.

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to explore how game testing can elevate your development process, check out our article: The Ultimate Guide to Market Research for Video Game Developers.

Or, get in touch with our team to discuss your project and how we can help you gain the insights you need for success.