GGW Voices is an ongoing collaboration between CDC Gaming and Global Gaming Women featuring commentary and insight from women in the gaming industry.
In this current era of entertainment, attention is the hardest currency to earn and the easiest to lose. From my seat in the B2B world of gaming and entertainment, I’ve seen just how dramatically the battle for engagement has shifted. As marketers, we’ve always known that community is powerful, but now it’s everything.
Community is not just a strategy, it’s the product.
At Games Global, and across the B2B landscape, the challenge isn’t just about launching a great game or having standout branding anymore. It’s about building emotional resonance, even when you’re one step removed from the end user. For operators and developers alike, retaining players means anchoring them in an evolving world of fandoms, limited-time drops and cultural moments that move faster than ever.
Today’s digital landscape is absolutely fragmented, and players are just as likely to be immersed in TikTok lore, crypto subreddits, or K-pop stan culture – the old rules of brand loyalty no longer apply. Kevin Roberts’ once foundational concept of “Love Marks” is starting to feel a little dusty, but a new framework is taking shape: “Crush Marks”.
“Enough about love. This is the Crush Marks era.”
Danielle Lazzarotto’s sharp take captures it perfectly: “Love is deep, lasting, often slow to build. But crushes? They’re impulsive, intense and driven by emotion in the now. In a digital age powered by FOMO and immediacy, crushes might actually be more commercially powerful than love. And while that may sound fleeting, crushes, when nurtured, can blossom into sustained loyalty.”
This is where ephemeral partnerships become tools for lasting connection.
Think of the buzz surrounding the drop of a Labubu character in a game, or the unprecedented attention drawn to brand collaborations like GTA x Balenciaga or Rhode x e.l.f. Beauty x Hailey Bieber. These aren’t just commercial crossovers – they’re culture colliders, and they work because they tap into identity, nostalgia and momentary obsession in a way that traditional loyalty campaigns simply can’t replicate.
What does this mean for retention and loyalty?
We must stop thinking about loyalty as the end goal. Instead, loyalty is a side effect of consistent emotional spikes – surprise, delight, belonging, recognition.
And that’s where collectability comes in. Whether physical merchandise, in-game assets or tokenized moments, the psychology behind collectables is timeless; we love what reminds us of our past selves. We treasure the things that help us show who we are to our core.
The collectable genre – wrapped vinyl toys, digital avatars or nostalgic game mechanics – offers players a chance to not just play, but own a piece of the culture they connect with. It’s about triggering joy, pride and curiosity through limitedness and storytelling. For me personally this is why the Guinness “Surfer” ad from 1999 still sticks in my mind – and why the brand continues to evolve while staying unmistakably Guinness.
That’s the kind of longevity we all chase: relevant yet rooted.
The truth is: brand retention in the future won’t come from ‘always-on’ visibility. It will come from sharp, culture-driven visibility at the right time.
From where I sit, at the intersection of product, event and emotional engagement, the future of community in our industry lies in tapping the now without losing sight of the forever. In the online gambling space, this is especially true. The most enduring slot titles aren’t just built on strong mechanics or design, they resonate because of the way they create distinct, emotionally-rewarding moments that players want to come back to. Consistently in the top 10, Book of Dead (Play’n GO) has become iconic for its classic “hero’s journey” feel, offering escapism and exploration in a single spin.
Closer to home, Gold Blitz (Fortune Factory Studios) continues to succeed by delivering a gratifying experience through its Cash Collect feature, offering players a clear, energizing path to reward without overcomplicating the journey. And 9 Masks of Fire (Gameburger Studios), with its celebratory drumbeats and mask-matching anticipation, taps into the universal appeal of rhythm and ritual. These games aren’t just popular, they are meaningful touchpoints that connect entertainment with emotion, and familiarity with delight. They demonstrate how memorable game design, paired with cultural relevance, can turn a one-time play into a lasting relationship.
Both 9 Masks of Fire and Gold Blitz have grown exponentially as game brands since original release. They have gone on to spawn dozens of additional titles into their franchises, each adding new mechanics and deeper elements that allow players to grow a stronger and (equally as important) fresher relationship with them, falling deeper in love with these crush marks.
Whether you’re building a studio brand or promoting a blockbuster launch, the golden thread is simple: make people feel something. Crushes might not last forever, but they bring players in. And with the right balance of innovation, storytelling and consistency, they’ll stay.
Let’s stop asking how we can keep players loyal.
Let’s start asking how we can keep them crushing – over and over again.
