GameHouse has appointed Emmi Kuusikko to the role of head of product strategy, insights and growth.
An experienced presence in global management, marketing and gaming, the role will see Kuusikko step into a leadership position for their ‘Me Time – Game Time’ strategy which is intended to direct their expertise in game making and GameHouse’s extensive catalogue towards a primarily female audience. Kuusikko said “For the first time during my 20 year career in gaming, I am making games for a target audience that I belong to, which is exhilarating and refreshing.”
CEO of GameHouse, Simonetta Lulli Gómez said of the appointment “We are delighted to welcome such high-profile leadership talent and analytics-driven expertise to the GameHouse executive team. We believe that over the years, female players have adapted to games, but rarely has game design adapted to female player behaviours. At GameHouse our vision is to design around female player habits first and, for that, we needed an expert in product management with very deep knowledge around audience insights applied to game design. With Emmi on board we can ensure that we create an agile process where player-first vision is at the heart of everything we do.”
Female led, female aimed
GameHouse predict that nearly three-quarters of women will play games in 2023 and represent about 46% of the global gaming market. This makes a female-focused strategy not only a shrewd business decision but a potentially very lucrative one for serving an underrepresented audience.
Kuusikko explained the rationale behind the strategy further. “GameHouse aims to own the ‘Me Time – Game Time’ mobile gaming experience, thanks to its unrivalled heritage of the past 25 years in the genres that women engage with the most. Our research shows that women seek ‘Me Time’ but feel guilty about taking it and that women find mobile gaming to provide the perfect escape, a means to unwind and have fun.
“We believe that casual mobile gaming experiences, with strong relatable characters and story narrative, provide the perfect escape from day-to-day commitments, to unwind and recharge your batteries. We want to encourage women to claim their me time – we all need it! ”
