In an era where data, live service models, and AI are reshaping the foundations of game publishing, Arnaud Richard, Global Marketing Lead at TinyBuild and speaker at the upcoming Game Publishing & Marketing Summit, shares a candid and insightful perspective. From the evolution of data’s role in game development to the looming impact of AI on publishing strategies, Arnaud unpacks both the promise and the pitfalls. Whether you're a studio just starting your data journey or a veteran navigating the future of live ops, his take offers sharp clarity on how to strike the balance between insight and instinct. 

Q: How has the role of data evolved in game publishing, especially with the rise of live service and mobile gaming?

A: Let’s be clear, data isn’t new in game development. We've been tracking sales numbers, wish lists, and basic metrics for years. But what's changed, radically, is what we can actually do with that data. We're no longer just collecting numbers; we’re building entire strategies around them.

That shift goes hand in hand with how the industry itself has evolved. The rise of online games, live updates, DLC, and service-based models means studios aren't just aiming for a big Day 1 anymore. The goal now is to stretch a game’s commercial lifespan over several years. That’s how you manage risk, build sustainable IPs, and create revenue pipelines that can fund the next project.

Mobile and free-to-play games really led the charge here. They mastered the trio — acquisition, retention, and monetization — and did it through a deep understanding of player behavior, often using insights from neuroscience and obsessive attention to UX. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was effective. Traditional studios eventually followed, adopting some of those tools, but in a way that fit their world: longer cycles, different priorities, and a stronger emphasis on brand and experience. They started running market studies pre-production, listening more closely to player feedback after launch, and using that loop to refine design decisions. Where we are now is interesting. We’ve got enough hindsight to see that data is both a gift and a trap. On one hand, it’s never been easier to understand players — not just how they interact with games, but how that differs across platforms, cultures, and communities. On the other hand, if you lean too hard on data, it becomes a crutch. It gets used as an argument to shut down risk, override instinct, or justify conservative choices.

To me, the real opportunity is in balance: use data to empower teams, not control them. It should inform creative decisions, not dictate them. When it’s working, data helps teams make smarter bets — without killing the boldness that makes great games great in the first place.

Q: When setting up a data infrastructure from scratch, what are the most common mistakes studios make and how can they avoid them?

A: The first mistake? Thinking data has all the answers. I’ve seen this time and time again — studios treating data like some kind of oracle that can predict player behavior with absolute certainty. It can’t. Data is just a tool. It’s powerful, sure, but it doesn’t make decisions for you, and it definitely doesn’t eliminate uncertainty.

There’s this idea floating around that if you collect the right metrics, you’ll unlock some universal truth about what players want. But let’s be honest: players don’t always know what they want — not consciously, anyway — and even if they do, what they want today might not be what they want tomorrow. Plus, the number of touchpoints between a player and a game today is off the charts compared to even ten years ago. Trying to map that full journey with perfect clarity? It’s not realistic — technically or legally.

The second big mistake is treating data like it belongs to one team. You see studios build entire data departments that only talk to marketing or publishing — or worse, assign one “data person” to run around trying to evangelize the rest of the studio. That never works. If data isn’t part of the day-to-day thinking inside design, production, even art and community, then it’s just background noise. Worse, it creates silos, deepening the old “devs vs. marketing” divide that already slows so many studios down.

And then there’s the more existential mistake: using data only to reduce risk. I get it — when you’re spending tens of millions on a game, you want to de-risk wherever you can. But if that’s the only lens you use, you’re going to end up making safer, flatter, more predictable games. That’s how creativity gets squeezed out.

And what does that lead to? Studios in low-cost markets being pushed to crank out trend-following titles at speed, with little room for innovation or authorship. If we’re not careful, data becomes part of a system that prioritizes efficiency over originality — and that’s a race to the bottom.

Q: What role does data play in long-term publishing strategy versus short-term decision-making? How do you strike the right balance?

A: If data’s only being used as a reaction tool, you’re already behind. It has to be part of the process, baked into how decisions are made across the studio — not pulled in at the last minute to justify something.

Now, I know the word “process” can rub people the wrong way, especially in indie circles. It sounds bureaucratic. But if a process is co-created — not imposed — and the people using it actually understand the why, not just the how, it becomes a support system, not a burden. You need buy-in from the leads across departments, and that only happens if they see value in it. That takes education, trust, and a bit of humility from whoever’s building the framework.

So how do you balance short-term vs. long-term thinking? Simple answer: data does both. Long term, it helps shape strategy — what kind of games to make, who they’re for, where the market is going. Short term, it helps optimize — marketing spend, store performance, feature rollout timing. The trick is knowing how to talk about it with different people.

A creative director doesn’t want to hear about CPM or conversion rates. They want to know what players are actually feeling. A marketing lead wants numbers tied to outcomes. So tailor your insights. Make them meaningful to whoever’s in the room. That’s when data becomes action, not just information. In France, we’ve seen very different models emerge. Ubisoft, for example, has built a massive, centralized data infrastructure that touches almost every part of the business — creative, commercial, marketing. Meanwhile, Amplitude Studios has taken a more community-centric approach with Games2Gether, combining qualitative feedback with player behavior analytics. Both models work, because they match the identity and goals of the studios behind them.

In the end, the best use of data doesn’t kill creativity — it sharpens it. It helps you make bolder decisions, not safer ones. But only if everyone’s on the same page about why it matters.

Q: How do you see the role of AI and machine learning evolving in game analytics and publishing strategy over the next few years?

A: This one’s tough to answer without writing an entire book. But here’s the short version. AI won’t magically fix your studio. It’s just a tool, like data. And how it’s used will reflect your studio’s philosophy. If you’re creatively driven, and you see games as an art form, you’ll probably push back against anything that automates your vision. If you’re more commercially focused, AI is going to look like a game-changer — because it can optimize campaigns, lower costs, and reduce reliance on human labor.

So yeah, the tension between art and commerce isn’t going away — AI just makes it louder. In the short term, we’ll see fewer data analysts and more legal teams. Because let’s face it, using AI at scale brings a lot of legal and ethical baggage: privacy, consent, IP, bias. Studios will need guidance there.

On the marketing side, AI is already transforming how we run campaigns. Think hyper-optimized A/B testing, automated audience targeting, real-time creative feedback. Sounds amazing — and it is, if your goals are clear. But here’s the warning: a beautifully optimized campaign can still fail if it’s aimed at the wrong target. You need human judgment to ask the big questions: “Are we solving the right problem?” “Is this the audience we should be going after?” Tools like ChatGPT or Grok are also lowering the barrier to entry. Suddenly, people who used to avoid data are finding it easier to ask questions, get insights, and make decisions based on real numbers. That democratization is huge — it could bring data-driven thinking into areas like narrative design or community management, where it’s traditionally been lacking.

But let’s not kid ourselves — we’re also going to see a wave of AI-generated games, many of them high-quality clones of whatever’s trending. This is the mobile gold rush all over again. If every successful idea gets instantly copied by 20 AI-generated versions, it’s going to challenge the visibility and long-term value of original IP. Where this all leads depends on the players. Do they want endless, polished, low-cost entertainment? Or will they keep seeking surprise, authorship, and meaning? I want to believe they will — and that the press and influencers will help amplify the games that actually take creative risks. If we can strike that balance — smart tools and strong vision — we’ll be in a good place.

Q: What are you looking forward to at the upcoming Live Service Gaming Summit?

A: Honestly? I’m hoping for real conversations. The industry is going through a rough patch right now — layoffs, restructurings, studio closures. A lot of incredibly talented people are out of work. It’s not business as usual, and we shouldn’t pretend that it is. So this summit is a chance to take a step back and reimagine how we work, how we build, and how we support one another. With so many sharp, experienced people in the room, I think we have a shot at building something better — or at least starting the conversation. And of course, I’m always on the lookout for clever, original projects. The kind that challenge assumptions and maybe even point the way forward.

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