Branded gaming is a content marketing tool that lets brands connect with their audience in a unique, entertaining way. It’s a type of branded content that enlightens, engages, and builds connections to the audience through interactive play.

Traditionally, branded content has consisted of sponsors either paying for the production of content, or paying to have a product placed within the content – with minimal impact on the story, message or purpose. Thanks in large part to dropping production costs, branded content has grown to include content developed or curated directly by the brand, blurring the line between advertisement and entertainment.

Acting as media producers, brands are now successfully competing for the same chunk of free time as every other media producer. By developing high-quality content, brands can build their own audience, increase brand consideration and affinity, and over time, cultivate a much deeper connection with consumers.

Branded gaming takes this relationship one step further.

By creating high-quality games on mobile devices, consoles, and across the web, brands have the ability to engage with a captive audience at every free moment throughout the day. Branded games have the potential to directly compete with the most popular games today. By integrating a brand directly within the core gameplay, companies can leverage this medium to build closer brand-consumer relationships than ever before.

By allowing an audience to physically interact and actually play with the content – rather than passively consume it – games can be used to help their audiences experience the thrill of achievement, teach them valuable lessons in an entertaining way, or foster communities in brand new ways.