I study
how players
feel in the dark.
I'm Eddie R., a game research & community professional with 6+ years connecting the dots between players, teams, and creative projects across games, entertainment, and fandom spaces.
I connect the dots between players, teams, and creative projects across games, entertainment, and fandom spaces. 6+ years in the field. Community-minded. Research-driven.
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Forecasting 007 First Light with sentiment + benchmarking
Pre-release sales forecast for a brand-new Bond game using wishlist data, sentiment analysis, search interest and historical benchmarks against 14 years of 007 titles.
Community & social plan for the Max Payne 1 & 2 remake
A tiered community and social plan for the upcoming Max Payne remake — segmenting fans from casuals to detective lore-masters, with a teaser → pre-launch → launch-week arc grounded in noir and nostalgia.
Generative AI in AAA game marketing — a case study at IO Interactive
How Generative AI can streamline marketing and development for AAA games. Strategic research plus an onsite case study at IOI exploring practical, ethical applications. Additional game user research under NDA.
Reconquering the "Wildlands"
A short game analysis of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands departing from its fictional setting in Bolivia — how Ubisoft Paris and Milan adapted real political and historical events into the design. Written for Tampere University, Colonialism in Games.
Why Final Fantasy XV Still Matters for Entertainment Storytelling Today
FFXV reversed the usual transmedia playbook: the game became the narrative engine, with film, anime, novels and VR extending the world.
Designing onboarding under uncertainty
Case study walkthrough · Nightfall
When to reach for biometrics (and when not to)
Matthew Ball's 2026 Report: Attention, Not Enemies
Notes on Matthew Ball's State of Video Gaming 2026. TikTok and OnlyFans aren't the enemy — they're rice vs pasta on the same shelf: attention. The winners will treat community as product, not decoration.
Splinter Cell Marketing: From Guerrilla Genius to Risky Ops
Stealth action made a comeback at Summer Game Fest 2025. It reminded me of a franchise that mastered stealth beyond the screen — and the campaigns that built Sam Fisher's legend on a fraction of the budget.
Alan Wake at 15: OOH Marketing & Transmedia That Still Haunts
Alan Wake turned 15 in 2025 and barely anyone noticed. A look back at Remedy's haunting OOH campaigns and the Bright Falls miniseries — still some of the best disruptive, transmedia work in games.
Let's play.
Got a project that needs a careful pair of eyes? I take on a few engagements per quarter. Tell me what you're shipping.
▸ ehenriquezreyes@gmail.com