Decide what matters more: Game success or your ego?
We’re Good Game Research — emphasis on good, not nice. To make games legendary, sometimes your feelings need to get hurt. We’re the necessary evil behind games that will last.
You’re welcome.
12
Years in Games
12
Years in Research
30
Companies
12
Hits
60
Game Credits
ABOUT US
JONATHAN BONILLAS
CEO & managing director
Jonathan Bonillas manages GGR with over a decade of experience helping games succeed. Previously, he has worked in user research at Activision, Paradox Interactive, Nordisk Film, and 2K and has influenced more than 60 titles, including global hits like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Civilization VI, XCOM 2, and Crusader Kings III.
Specializing in hands-on playtesting, Jonathan puts games directly in front of players to uncover engagement patterns, optimize experiences, and guide design and product decisions. He builds research functions that help studios and development teams make data-driven choices, ensuring games resonate with players and deliver meaningful experiences.
CELESTIA KOH
PARTNER & CONSULTANT
Celestia Koh advises on consumer insights and strategic research at GGR. With over 20 years in the games industry, she elevated games research from a reactive support role into a strategic advisory function. She has led global initiatives across 15+ countries, translating complex player and market data into actionable insights. As former chairperson at IGDA GUR-SIG, she has also advanced research functions at Ubisoft, Paradox Interactive, and Zynga, most recently serving as Advisor at Playcap and Global Head of Research at Storytel.
She specializes in translating complex cross-functional data into actionable strategies that uncover growth opportunities, de-risk investments, and guide studios, publishers, and investors across global markets and ecosystems. Celestia builds research frameworks that ensure strategy is both impactful and insights-informed, enabling teams to act decisively on the right moves.
She also pioneered mixed-methods playtesting that triangulates telemetry, metrics, and qualitative insights, providing teams with actionable guidance to shape both product development and business outcomes.
One-Stop, Full-Service GAMES research and insights consultancy
Browse our full suite of services and fix what you didn’t even know was broken!
From quick consumer insights to month-long deep dives into player behavior, or strategic guidance on users, consumers, and business-critical decisions- we put the success of your game first. You’ll thank us later.
Expect nothing less than games that players choose, and competitors can be jelly about.
Most consultancies scale quickly and then pass those growth costs on to their clients. They may expand their teams or inflate their service offerings, not because it benefits you, but to chase higher revenues. We operate differently.
Our research panel is a maintenance-only resource—it costs us to maintain, but we don’t profit from it. You’re only paying for what it takes to keep the panel running and up to date, not to fund our growth or margins.
Clarity for better, data-informed decisions
Sometimes the smartest move is to stop. We provide research-backed guidance to help identify when a project isn’t worth continuing- and more importantly, we also help teams integrate research earlier in the development pipeline to avoid reaching that point.
Our guarantee: we will never upsell you. We don’t have business development managers or account executives, so there’s no pressure, just honest service.
A safe space for Research Allies
We don’t just consult. We stand for the betterment of the entire research craft. GGR maintains a space for those who do research, whether formally or informally. It’s a place to share resources, get mentorship, swap methods, and ask honest questions without gatekeeping.
Use Our research panel
Most research firms scale fast, by passing the cost on to you. We don’t bloat our team or inflate our services just to chase growth. Our model stays lean, so your costs stay fair. And our panel doesn’t suffer, they get a fair share too.
Join our Community for Researchers & Research Allies
We don’t just consult. We stand for the betterment of the entire research craft. GGR maintains a space for those who do research, whether formally or informally. It’s a place to share resources, get mentorship, swap methods, and ask honest questions without gatekeeping.
Learn from our Knowledgebase
Our Knowledgebase is more than a collection of guides—it’s a space for anyone who wants to understand and engage with game research at every level. Dive into practical tips, detailed resources, and insights on playtesting, player behavior, and how feedback shapes the games we play.
Whether you’re a player curious about your impact, an early-career researcher building your skills, a product manager seeking actionable insights, or an investor looking to understand the market, these resources equip you to learn, contribute, and make informed decisions.
Every section is designed to be clear, accessible, and immediately useful, giving you the tools to explore research methods, improve your practice, and participate in shaping better games for everyone.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don’t see your answer here, ask us directly!
Everything that concerns your players, users, consumers, and audience. We’re your full-service, one-stop shop. In broad strokes, we cover user research, consumer insights, market research, and strategic advisory. This includes playtesting, concept testing, data analysis, monetization studies, audience segmentation, research strategy, and executive advisory for growth, product strategy, and M&A decisions.
We work with the entire lifestyle of games! From conception all the way into live! All gaming platforms (PC, mobile, VR, console, handheld, etc)! And all types of organisations; developers, studios, publishers, and investors/VCs etc.
Simple. We don’t use salespeople- or anyone disguised as one under another title, so we will never try to upsell you.
We focus entirely on your game’s success, not on selling extra services. Every study or recommendation is meaningfully tailored to answer the right questions to make the decisions you need. You won’t be oversold — we only propose additional work if it genuinely adds value to your project.
We combine qualitative and quantitative methods, along with data triangulation, to deliver insights that are directly tied to product, business, and revenue outcomes. Every recommendation is framed to guide practical decisions.
We guide studios in business-critical decisions — from market entry to mergers — using insights from your players and audience. This ensures every recommendation is grounded in real consumer behavior and preferences, including:
Identifying growth and market opportunities
Conducting commercial risk assessments
Validating ideas for pitches and investments
Advising on product and portfolio strategy
Supporting mergers & acquisitions guidance
All guidance is player-centric, helping you make confident, data-driven decisions that benefit both your business and your audience.
We have extensive experience across casual, midcore, and hardcore genres, including mobile, console, and PC games, and can tailor our methods to any game type or business model.
It varies by scope:
Emergency support: 1-3 days (or live as required)
Usability tests: 1–2 weeks
Full-scale playtesting: 4–8 weeks
Custom requests: ongoing or as defined per engagement
We handle screening, recruiting, and GDPR-compliant data management. Participants can come from your existing player base or be recruited externally to match your target audience. We also perform rigorous checks to ensure that the players who participate are truly representative of your audience.
PRICING
Sample Pricing for Our Most Popular Services*.
Note: The prices listed are examples for standard versions of our most requested studies. Every project can be tailored to your specific needs, so pricing may be adjusted to reflect.
We could brag about how great we are, but that’d be like you reviewing your own game. You need proof, not praise.
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“I have worked with Jonathan for some time now, he has a real passion for the games industry and has tremendous knowledge not only in gaming but for user research, and research techniques. He performs a vital service in the game development lifecycle and have no hesitation in recommending him and his services.”
JAMES SCALPELLO
SUPERMASSIVE GAMES
“
“Jonathan has a perfect blend of game knowledge and leadership skills. With an unparalleled understanding of what makes games great, Jonathan is the ideal person to talk to for any developer who strives for excellence (and his cheerful attitude also makes him the ideal person to talk about games with in general).”
LARS BOE
NORDISK GAMES
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“Working withCelestia was nothing short of enlightening. She has a very keen eye for research, knows exactly what to ask and when to ask, and does a very thorough job in any project she’s involved with. She has a very unique perspective on user research that makes her a very special addition to any team, as she expertly identifies and points out biases and assumptions we may hold that could distort the interpretation of the research, and she then directs the analysis in a way that we can immediately recognize is much more logical and efficient. She raises brilliant points and has a deep understanding of both people and businesses, which helps her bridge the two in insightful ways, creating opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed.”
JJ ZUMAETA
NETSPEAK GAMES
“
“I feel lucky to have Celestia as a mentor. Celestia constantly provided accurate insights and taught me things that would never have crossed my mind without her mentorship. Celestia’s support also has gifted me with perspective and direction I would not have otherwise had. Thank you for the difference you have made in my career.”
VIVIAN ORTENZI
ELECTRONIC ARTS
Have questions?
There are no stupid questions- just egos blocking your big win. Show your game it deserves better than that.
Contact Us
Email Us
hello@goodgameresearch.com
Call Us
+1 (909)-374-0569 (US)
Location
Wyoming, USA Sweden, EU
Working Hours
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (PST) 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (CET)
