Focus group discussions (FGDs) bring together small groups of players for moderated conversations about games, features, concepts, or experiences. FGDs allow studios to observe how players discuss and compare ideas, reveal group dynamics and differing perspectives, and explore topics through guided conversation rather than individual feedback alone.

FGDs are particularly useful when testing concepts, evaluating multiple design directions, understanding player expectations for a genre or feature, or exploring how different player types perceive the same experience. The group format often surfaces insights that wouldn't emerge in one-on-one interviews.

Lysto offers FGDs as a customized research solution, with sessions moderated by Expert User Researchers or studio moderators. Sessions typically last over an hour and involve small, carefully selected groups of participants.

Interviews and surveys serve different research goals.

Surveys gather self-reported opinions and preferences from a large player base, providing directional feedback and quantitative data at scale. They're best for understanding what players think across broad questions, measuring sentiment, or validating concepts quickly.

Interviews provide in-depth qualitative understanding through one-on-one conversations. They're best for exploring why players think or behave a certain way, uncovering motivations and expectations, validating complex features or mechanics, and investigating topics that require follow-up questions and deeper exploration.

Use surveys when you need high-level validation or directional feedback from many players. Use interviews when you need to understand the reasoning, context, and nuance behind player responses.

Yes. Interviews can be run at any stage of development, including before your game launches.

Pre-launch interviews help validate concepts, understand player expectations for features or mechanics, explore how players perceive your game's positioning or theme, and identify potential friction points before development or release. Interviews can be conducted using prototypes, concept materials, or even without a playable build, depending on your research goals.

Yes. Post-launch interviews help studios understand player experiences after release, gather feedback on live features or updates, explore retention or monetization challenges, and identify opportunities for improvement based on real player experiences with the live game.

Post-launch interviews allow teams to dig deeper into player behavior observed through analytics or surveys, providing context and reasoning that data alone cannot reveal.

Participants for FGDs are recruited from Lysto's player panel or can be brought by studios from their own communities. All participants are screened and verified to ensure they match the targeting criteria defined for the study.

Since FGDs are in-depth and conducted in small groups, participant selection focuses on recruiting players who represent relevant segments, have appropriate experience levels, or meet specific criteria that align with your research goals.

The recruitment process may take additional time depending on the complexity of the study and the specificity of the targeting requirements.

Yes. Interviews and FGDs can be moderated by Lysto's Expert User Researchers, who have experience conducting qualitative research in game development. Alternatively, studios can provide their own moderators if they prefer.

Since moderating interviews and FGDs requires skill and experience, Lysto offers these as customized research solutions. Studios need to get in touch with us to discuss study goals, moderation needs, and how the sessions will be structured.

Yes. Interviews help studios understand the underlying reasons behind retention and monetization behavior.

Through in-depth conversations, moderators can explore why players continue playing or stop, what motivates players to spend or avoid spending, how players perceive value in monetization systems, and what friction points affect long-term engagement. These insights provide context that complements quantitative data from analytics or surveys, helping teams make informed design and business decisions.

The timeline for an interview study depends on the complexity of the research, the number of participants, and recruitment requirements.

Individual interview sessions typically last over an hour. The full study timeline, from initial request to final deliverables, varies based on how many interviews are conducted, how specific the participant targeting criteria are, and what deliverables are requested. Recruitment may take additional time depending on the complexity of the study.

For specific timelines based on your research goals, contact your Games Partnership Manager or reach out to us at contact@lysto.io.

Interview and FGD sessions can be conducted either in-person or remotely via video conferencing, depending on your research needs and logistical preferences.

In-person sessions are typical but remote sessions offer flexibility, allowing participation from players in different regions and reducing logistical overhead. The choice depends on your study goals, participant location, and how you want to structure the research.

Deliverables vary depending on the study design and what is requested during setup.

Typical deliverables may include session recordings, transcripts, analysis and summary reports, and actionable insights and recommendations. Since interviews and FGDs are customized research solutions, deliverables are tailored to your specific research goals and needs.

For details on what deliverables are included in your study, contact your Games Partnership Manager or reach out to us at contact@lysto.io.

Yes. Lysto supports combining interviews, FGDs, and surveys in one research plan, allowing studios to gather both quantitative and qualitative insights.

This approach provides high-level directional feedback from surveys at scale and in-depth understanding of player motivations, reasoning, and experiences through interviews or FGDs. Combining methods allows teams to validate findings across different data sources and build a more complete picture of player sentiment and behavior.

For more information on designing a research plan that combines multiple methods, contact your Games Partnership Manager or reach out to us at contact@lysto.io.

Yes. Lysto supports both indie and AAA studios for interviews, FGDs, and all other research services offered on the platform.

Our customized research solutions are designed to meet the needs of studios at different scales, from small indie teams to larger AAA productions. The approach, moderation, and deliverables are tailored to your specific goals and context.

Interviews help validate features by exploring player expectations, understanding how players perceive the value or purpose of a feature, uncovering potential confusion or friction before full development, and gathering feedback on concepts, prototypes, or early implementations.

Through in-depth conversation, moderators can ask follow-up questions, clarify player reasoning, and probe deeper into reactions that surveys or playtests alone might not fully reveal. This makes interviews particularly useful for complex or unfamiliar features that require player understanding and buy-in.

Yes. FGDs can be used to test specific gameplay mechanics by presenting concepts, prototypes, or footage to participants and facilitating discussion about how they perceive, understand, and react to the mechanics.

Group discussions allow studios to observe how players compare mechanics, debate their value or complexity, and articulate expectations. This provides insight into how mechanics might be received by different player types and what concerns or opportunities exist before full implementation.

For guidance on structuring FGDs to test gameplay mechanics, contact your Games Partnership Manager or reach out to us at contact@lysto.io.