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Where Does European Gen Z Want to See Brands in Games?

While some brands build their own exclusive virtual worlds, young players really want to see them in existing games…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Aug 6 2025
Western Europe

KEY TAKEAWAYS

For Gen Z, brands are definitely invited to the gaming party—as long as they play it smart
They prefer when brands add to the games they’re already playing over creating an original one
If a brand is going to create their own game or virtual world, make sure it’s worth Gen Z’s time and a reason to keep coming back

There’s a reason YPulse has been saying for years that the future of marketing is inside video games. Young consumers are bombarded with ads constantly—on streaming services, social media platforms, podcasts and beyond. And most of the time, they’re scrolling by or ignoring them without even noticing. It’s the norm for them to tune-out of blatant advertisements: YPulse’s Social and Mobile Marketing Preferences report shows 59% of 13-39-year-old social media users agree, “I usually skip over or scroll past any ad on social media.” But they’ll pay more attention if an ad entertains and engages them, making video games a...