Post by Keywords Studios

Tough player feedback is inevitable. How you handle it makes the difference. Playtests will always surface hard truths. Characters don’t land. Systems frustrate. UI confuses. That feedback can demoralise a team. Or it can unlock real progress and avoid a buildup of frustration over time. But how to deliver bad news, without breaking your teams’ hearts? In our experience, two things make difficult feedback easier to absorb and act on: 1️⃣ Humanise the data: Filter the signal from the noise and retell your findings in a concise, empathetic, and digestible way, so your busy dev team can relate to them and act on them. 2️⃣ Build a culture of testing: Normalise the fact that feeling discouraged is part of the process. Tough feedback isn’t something to lament, it’s something to celebrate. In his article, Sebastian Long from our team at Player Research shares valuable tips on making better use of player data, and delivering uncomfortable truths without breaking team morale: https://loom.ly/G6SQ-o0 These are exactly the conversations Seb is bringing back to #GDC2026 through his player data roundtables. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect and learn from others!