IAB PlayFronts 2024 Recap

The IAB PlayFronts 2024 marked a significant milestone in the digital entertainment sphere, bringing together industry innovators to share insights and chart the future of interactive media for the third year in a row. New industry research on game players stood out in "The Many Ways We Play: A New View of Game Players," a session hosted by Activision Blizzard Media. This presentation offered a fresh perspective on the gaming audience, introducing new segmentation research that reveals the diverse and nuanced behaviors of today's game players.

Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all "gamer" label. Today's digital play landscape is inhabited by “game players, “gaming fans,” and “enthusiasts,” each with their unique preferences and habits. The session, spearheaded by Jordan Shlachter, Head of Research at Activision Blizzard Media, explored this diversity through an analysis of six distinct audience segments, offering a new lens through which to view the gaming community.

Activision Blizzard Media General Manager, Clement Xue also took to the stage to showcase the new opportunity within gaming, underscoring diverse and innovative mobile formats and the importance of a multi-platform approach as we look to the future of in-game advertising experiences.

A key theme of the presentation was the pivotal role of mobile gaming in uniting players across various platforms. The insights shared underscored the opportunity for advertisers to build meaningful connections with a broad and engaged audience, through understanding and tapping into the multifaceted ways people play.

Key Takeaways

• Diverse Gaming Landscape: The session unveiled the rich tapestry of game players, moving beyond traditional stereotypes to highlight the nuanced behaviors and motivations of today’s diverse gaming audience. It emphasized the importance of understanding the multifaceted ways people engage with games across different platforms and genres.

• Segmentation and Opportunity: Through meticulous segmentation research, six distinct audience groups were identified, showcasing the varying preferences and behaviors of multiplatform and mobile game players. This segmentation not only provides a deeper understanding of the gaming ecosystem but also uncovers vast opportunities for advertisers to connect with a dynamic and growing audience.

• Mobile Gaming’s Pervasive Influence: The presentation underscored the significant role of mobile gaming as a unifying factor among different segments of game players. The commonality found in mobile gaming habits presents a broad avenue for advertisers to engage with audiences through familiar and widely enjoyed gameplay experiences.

"The Many Ways We Play" session not only provided a new understanding of game players but also outlined the pathway for brands to navigate the intricate and vibrant world of digital play, fostering innovative and respectful engagement with a vast, enthusiastic gaming community.