I think for companies like Activision, EA, analytics drive a massive amount of their decision making. I would even go so far as to posit that Blizzard (a maste

I think for companies like Activision, EA, analytics drive a massive amount of their decision making. I would even go so far as to posit that Blizzard (a master of psychological manipulation), most decisions are driven by analytics based optimization for engagement FIRST, then mechanics and creative design get to come play. I have no evidence, nor am I an insider, just an observer and scholar of games.