Try Evidence

19/01/2026

Just like some of the games we’re all waiting for, our New Year wishes got delayed 😉

To all gamers following Try Evidence - happy 2026!

We wish you genuinely fresh, well-designed experiences that respect your time and your wallet. And, hopefully, enough free evenings to finally make a dent in those backlogs, before the next wave of exciting releases hits.

2026 is already shaping up to be a very interesting year for games, and yes, there’s definitely a lot to look forward to. Some of you already know that, because you’ve played parts of what’s coming. After all, you regularly visit our lab to see what’s cooking in development. 🎮 For that, we’d like to say a big thank you on behalf of ourselves and our clients.

And to those dozens of studios and partners who continue to trust us with their projects, we wish you a 2026 full of strong ideas, smart decisions, and games that truly connect with players. 💪

See you in our lab and in your favorite games in 2026!

24/10/2025

🍰 Your 7/10 score is a lie.

We all say a 7/10 is "good," or even "above average." But in the cutthroat world of game reviews, from Metacritic to Steam, we know it's often treated as a polite failure.

Why? Because the psychology of scoring isn't about math; it's about behavioral prediction. That "7" is far closer to the negative perception of your game than you might expect.

At Game Industry Conference, we're exposing the cognitive biases and the hidden scale that truly governs your game's success. It’s an alchemy of emotions, context, and perception that’s more brutal than simple arithmetic.

We'll reveal the Silent Reviews secret: how game reviewing without the influence of PR, marketing, or hype uncovers the real score, what that score truly means, and what you can do about it before release.

Join Joanna Buganik, Senior Partner at Try Evidence, to shift your thinking from what a score is to what it makes people do.

📌 Catch the talk:
"The Metacritic Games: The Alchemy of Silent Reviews & Game Scoring."

When: This Sunday at 12:00
Where: GIC 2025

26/09/2025

Why do millions of players choose stress and fear? At Try Evidence, we research it every day 💪

Survival horror is back in the spotlight – Resident Evil 4 Remake, Alan Wake 2, Silent Hill 2, and the latest: Cronos: The New Dawn are proof 💎

At Try Evidence, we’ve just published a new article based on our latest research:

🎮 how survival horror fans differ from other gamers
🎮 why they return to stressful, unforgiving experiences
🎮 which mechanics they love – and which ones push them away

👉 Check out the full article and sign up for a free report sample here:

Who are its fans and why do they play? Get the free Try Evidence report.

11/09/2025

We are thrilled to share that Try Evidence had the honor of collaborating as a research partner on Cronos: The New Dawn, working alongside the incredible team at Bloober Team.

Being part of a project that pushes creative boundaries and sets new standards in immersive gaming has been an extraordinary experience for us.

A heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this vision to life! 👏

Data from reviews has been salvaged — and we’re thrilled by the scores! 🥰

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the incredibly positive reception from both the media and players during our early access launch of Cronos: The New Dawn! ❤️

The final mission begins September 5th!

19/08/2025

Our latest international research shows that 76% of Gen Z gamers wait for at least 20% off before buying a new game. Why? Backlogs are huge, time is short – and only the best games break through. ⏳🎮

We asked players in our labs what makes a game ❌ not worth recommending.

Here are the top 5 reasons they shared with us (based on our semantic analysis of players' explanations related to low-recommended titles):

🔴 Narrative pacing & payoff – stories that drag, characters that feel flat, endings you see coming.

🔴 Repetition & grind – recycled enemies, chores instead of progress.

🔴 Visual coherence – patchwork art direction, muddy VFX, stiff animations.

🔴 Core mechanics & controls – laggy inputs, weak hit feedback, bloated systems.

🔴 World & quest design – big but hollow worlds, copy-paste layouts, low meaning-per-minute.

👉 Curious what makes players drop or recommend a game? That’s exactly what we study every day.

Message us to learn more, or meet our team at gamescom!

12/08/2025

We’re proud to share that our Senior Partner, Anna Łada-Grodzicka, has joined the Program Board of Ctrl + Alt + Promote – Marketing Summit at Game Industry Conference !

This summit will bring together the brightest minds in gaming to explore:
- Social Media & Community Management
- PR & Marketing
- Business Development & Publishing
- Video Content & Asset Creation

Together with an amazing group of industry experts, Anna is helping to shape an agenda that’s both inspiring and practical, designed to help you make the right connections and the best decisions.

Mark your calendars for October and join us at Ctrl + Alt + Promote during ! Something truly exciting is cooking…

13/06/2025

June may be missing the sun in Europe, but we’ve been turning up the heat in our own way. Lately, we’ve been cooking up something new - a podcast!

In our very first episode, our researchers and psychologists, Marcelina and Dominik, get into fear in video games. They tackle the psychology of what scares us, why the unknown gives us chills, and how our brains sometimes enjoy being afraid.

So buckle up - The Try Evidence Podcast is now live on:

Spotify:

https://spoti.fi/3ZsUF9c

and YouTube:

https://bit.ly/44gsWek

Give it a listen, and let us know what you think!

22/05/2025

Big thanks to everyone who joined us at Nordic Game for “Crafting Games That Matter: Bridging Psychology and Design.”

Joanna Buganik and Michał Dębek took the stage to show how psychology can empower game design. They shared fresh insights from our PETGaMo research—exploring how motivators like autonomy, social bonds, and catharsis can help shape mechanics that truly resonate with players.

The room was full, and the energy even fuller. Your questions, reactions, and engagement made it clear: player psychology does matter in game design.

For those who couldn’t attend in person, we invite you to explore the PETGaMo framework that shaped our talks at both Nordic Game and Digital Dragons this year:
https://tryevidence.com/blog/gamer-motivation-theory/

To everyone who showed up live—thank you for the amazing turnout and thoughtful feedback. That’s what keeps us moving forward.

20/05/2025

Our Try Evidence stars Joanna Buganik and Michał Dębek took the stage at Digital Dragons to talk about how not to burn your budget during game development—using a fully data-driven approach, of course. They shared new research on gamer motivation (PETGaMo) and how to design mechanics that truly resonate by tapping into psychological drivers like autonomy, social bonds, and catharsis.

The room was packed, which gives us so much energy to keep pushing forward!

Huge thanks for all the questions and feedback—it’s exactly what fuels us.

20/03/2025

Okay, so it's March, but we've been busy! Just finished up two huge international studies—including the one on gamer motivation psychology we recently posted about, and we’re finally ready to look back at 2024.

First off – a huge THANK YOU to all the gamers out there! You’re the reason we can do what we do: game research and market insights. We truly appreciate your time, whether it’s joining us in our labs or sharing your thoughts in surveys. Here’s to even more gaming insights together!

In 2024, we got to dive into some seriously cool projects with amazing partners, tackling research challenges across the board – think everything from horror and souls-likes to RTS and casual games. We did large-scale global qualitative studies to assess markets, audiences, branding, settings, heroes, and overall gamer preferences; in-depth lab studies on game UX; gamer focus groups; and a series of international silent reviews.

At the request of several partners, we conducted an in-depth study on Gen Z gaming habits, exploring their preferred platforms, favorite genres, play patterns, and the psychological drivers behind their choices. We also had the pleasure of working on games nominated for The Game Awards, early 2025 bangers, and future hits destined to dominate Steam and beyond.

We levelled up as a company, strengthened our leadership, and set some big, exciting research goals for the future.

For 2025, we're all about giving you even more killer insights to make your games the best they can be and really connect with players.

14/03/2025

Ever find yourself thinking about life's big questions while gaming? You're not alone!

We surveyed nearly 1,000 players worldwide about their gaming motivations and their all-time favorite games as part of our long-term gamer motivation project.

It turns out, “Meaningful Reflection” is one of the strongest motivations in gaming. Players driven by this motivation love engaging deeply with stories that provoke thought about life's big questions—purpose, personal values, relationships, justice, equality, and other complex philosophical and social issues.

So, what are the all-time favorite games of players who love reflecting deeply?

Check out the chart to see which titles top the list for those who seek meaningful themes in games (green bars) and which ones are less popular among them (pink bars).

Beyond the most popular picks shown in the graph, Life is Strange and BioShock were chosen by fewer players but stood out as favorites for those driven by meaningful reflection. Meanwhile, Rocket League and Crash Bandicoot among less frequently mentioned titles but notably favored by players who don't need deeper themes.

What’s the game that really made you think about life? Drop your personal legend in the comments!

PS: If you’ve been one of our playtesters, you’ve probably helped shape these kinds of meaningful games. How cool is that? Thank you for your contribution!