Owlcat Games – We create cRPGs

The BIG Community Survey 2025 Results

Even earlier than saying The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, we launched the BIG Community Survey. Each 12 months, we use it to grasp what issues to our neighborhood: what they get pleasure from about video games and what they don’t.

Our neighborhood is aware of how fastidiously we hearken to suggestions and use the information we obtain to develop our initiatives. This is why they actively take part in such surveys 12 months after 12 months, and 2025 was no exception.

This time, greater than 25,000 individuals from totally different international locations and virtually each time zone have participated! The survey included about fifty questions, seventeen of which had been open-ended, the place individuals couldn’t solely select a solution but additionally share their views and experiences.

We tried to cowl every part that makes video games particular: favourite genres, platforms, and settings, in addition to key points of gameplay. We talked about hobbies, sources of inspiration, and the way you uncover new initiatives. You instructed us why you buy video games, what motivates you to purchase them immediately, and what makes you anticipate reductions.

We thank everybody who participated! You shared your private tales, experiences, and opinions, defined your decisions, supplied suggestions, and joked round. Behind the traces of your responses there are actual individuals, their preferences, and gaming expertise—and that’s what makes this survey so vital to us.

We studied your responses and ready a map for example how many people there are around the globe. It reveals how the survey individuals had been distributed throughout continents:

Some of you’re Warhammer followers, some can’t think about life with out music—your pursuits are various. But there may be at all times room for cats and a few memes, proper? At least 12% of you’ll agree, and with so many individuals, that isn’t a small quantity.

Now it’s time to take a more in-depth take a look at all these items. We invite you to be taught extra about our neighborhood’s pursuits! Make your self comfy and let’s get the ball rolling!

It All Starts With Curiosity

Some individuals uncover new releases on their very own, whereas others depend on suggestions from buddies and content material creators. For 59% of our respondents, it’s their favourite genres and settings that matter. They function a place to begin when selecting the subsequent journey.

In 56% of circumstances, suggestions from buddies and acquaintances make the distinction. The similar variety of respondents belief their favourite builders and publishers, selecting new releases from studios which have already given them an unforgettable expertise.

Interestingly, the function of impartial creators has grown considerably in recent times: whereas few individuals paid consideration to their suggestions prior to now, at the very least 29% of respondents now hearken to their recommendations. And this affect shouldn’t be underestimated; a brief video or an trustworthy evaluation from a content material creator can spark the viewers’s curiosity.

Finally, a few third of our gamers go for the explorer route: they browse Steam or itch catalogs, filter tags, browse collections, and make their very own discoveries.

Curiously, search strategies are instantly associated to media habits. Some uncover new initiatives due to TikTok and streaming platforms, whereas others belief considerate opinions by their favourite authors and retailer suggestions.

The survey included respondents with various ranges of gaming expertise, from those that had simply began entering into the business to those that had been following it for a very long time. The largest group was aged 25-34. Each era discovers new initiatives in its personal means, however one precept stays the identical: belief. You can scroll endlessly by way of your feed and watch trailers, however nothing can exchange a advice from a trusted individual.

When Interest Turns Into a Decision

For most gamers, it begins with the style and the setting. Next, they take note of the gameplay options, the plot, and the characters. Then rational elements come into play, comparable to belief within the writer and an affordable worth.

Last 12 months, loyalty to builders was talked about most incessantly. That is why we determined to spotlight it this time round, and we weren’t mistaken. More than half of the respondents famous that one of many key elements when making a purchase order is belief within the studio or writer. Even if the share for this class seems to be modest, it is price remembering that respondents might select a number of solutions, and greater than 13 000 individuals talked about belief within the writer. If a developer has already confirmed themselves, gamers are prepared to assist them again and again, whatever the style and scale of the mission. 

We invite you to check out the infographic, as we can’t ignore these solutions:

The survey recognized a number of teams of gamers with various levels of involvement:

• Those who belief their buddies and content material creators are twice as more likely to buy video games at full worth. This is the core of the neighborhood, for whom buying is a option to assist the developer and share the expertise of anticipation with different neighborhood members.

• The gamers who concentrate on trailers and opinions in shops usually tend to anticipate reductions or check out demos. These “cautious observers” watch, consider the ambiance, and construct their belief slowly.

• In addition, there may be additionally a 3rd class, the “explorers”. They uncover initiatives on their very own and make decisions based mostly solely on private opinion. The buying conduct of this class is considerably unpredictable, however they’re the primary advocates of area of interest initiatives, which then discover their viewers.

This article touches upon only a fraction of our various neighborhood. There are many extra various kinds of gamers, and an in depth evaluation would require a separate, in depth research.

Genres and Titles

Role-playing video games are clearly on the high of our survey. Coincidence? We don’t assume so! Here are the favourite genres of the typical member of our neighborhood:  

 Year after 12 months, we additionally ask about your favourite universes. For us, this is a chance to seek out out which worlds encourage you and what evokes sturdy feelings. Please word that the viewers might select a number of solutions to this query. This is how the replies had been distributed this time:

Warhammer 40,000 grew to become absolutely the favourite. Nearly fifteen and a half thousand respondents talked about it of their solutions.

Abelard, introduce all of the Lord Captains with the suitable honors, and ensure to checklist all their titles!

Pathfinder ranks second, whereas Dungeons & Dragons ranks third. The Lord of the Rings and Mass Effect spherical out the highest 5. These worlds have grow to be the premise for hundreds of adventures and proceed to encourage individuals around the globe to this very day.

In the rating of favourite universes, some positions appear to gravitate to at least one one other. Some of them appeared lengthy earlier than the video games, whereas others gained traction by way of gaming initiatives. 

• For instance, The Witcher started as a sequence of books by Andrzej Sapkowski, whereas Cyberpunk began as a tabletop role-playing recreation by Mike Pondsmith. Both universes have grow to be really iconic due to CD Projekt Red. They obtained over 11 000 votes every, confirming the facility of our buddies who managed to convey to life these very totally different universes.

• The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are each authentic recreation franchises. They additionally stand shoulder to shoulder within the rankings, and every sequence has obtained over 11,000 mentions. Yes, Bethesda is aware of how one can inform tales in all kinds of settings, from the ruins of Tamriel to the post-apocalyptic wastelands.

These universes have lengthy since grow to be classics and stood the check of time, remaining sought-after and related. This is essentially as a result of their favourite tales have been delivered to life in an interactive format.

We additionally requested you about your favourite role-playing video games and are glad to share a range based mostly on the survey outcomes:

Of course, that is removed from an entire checklist of cult titles and mental properties talked about by respondents. Owlcat video games had been intentionally unnoticed, however we’re glad to be ranked alongside such excellent initiatives. You have wonderful style!

Other Than Games (Beyond the Screen) 

As you might have guessed, on this part we are going to focus on what else our neighborhood is keen about. As curious owlcats, we couldn’t resist taking a peek at your passion shelf: there are tabletop role-playing recreation rulebooks and non-fiction, historic {and professional} literature, science fiction, esotericism, and fantasy of all types.

This 12 months, music ranked first in keeping with your pursuits, about 16,000 individuals ticked this feature. Almost as many respondents are excited by tabletop role-playing video games. The reply “I am interested in/studying AI” is showing way more generally. About 11,500 individuals talked about TV sequence, and about 10,000 comply with content material creators. But the checklist doesn’t finish there.

Many reported an curiosity in writing, portray, historic reenactment, health, and cooking. Some discover inspiration in medieval chronicles, whereas others are impressed by culinary experiments. One in 4 members of our neighborhood is keen about wargames, and one in 5 enjoys and frequently listens to podcasts.

Gaming mental property and private preferences go hand in hand. What we love instantly influences what initiatives we need to see tomorrow.

The neighborhood doesn’t merely work together with content material, however creates, explores, evokes, and provides life to new initiatives. Sometimes it’s a spaceship mannequin, generally a reconstruction of a jousting match. But behind all these hobbies there’s a frequent need to discover the world, uncover new issues, and increase the acquainted boundaries.

Together Through Thick and Thin

We see how our neighborhood is evolving, how tendencies and preferences are altering. But your assist and love of fine tales stay unchanged! 

We have been collectively for a few years. Thanks to you, concepts are born, worlds are made alive, and video games are created that stay related for years to return.

You are our inspiration and our information. You are our co-authors. We bear in mind who we’re constructing every new mission for, and we rejoice after we see your guesses, expectations, and desires within the feedback. Your suggestions helps us enhance. Without you, there could be no tales to inform, and we’re proud to stroll hand in hand as we create new initiatives collectively.

Thank you for staying with us, believing in us, supporting us, and taking part in our video games.

With new worlds and hundreds of hours of journey forward, we’re delighted to embark on this journey along with our buddies!

Instead of Post Scriptum

Now think about, through the time that 25,000 individuals accomplished the survey (which quantities to about 6,250 hours), you could possibly:

• end writing a number of novels

• construct a Rogue Trader vessel in Minecraft

• bake 12,500 do-it-yourself pizzas (and eat all of them)

• obtain enlightenment and learn to roll profitable crucial hits with a d20 (many occasions in a row!)

• be taught the Elvish language

• or replay Wrath of the Righteous a few occasions!

But you selected to share your expertise with us, and that’s superior!