Consumer Brand Engagement and Video Game Media Brand Authenticity

Video game consumers are well-known for their brand engagement activities, but the interaction between brand engagement and brand authenticity in a video game context remains unknown. This study uses The Sims 4, an installment in a long-running, successful video game brand series, whose consumers are known for their particularly extensive engagement activities, to address this research gap. Thematic analysis informed by active story interpretation was used to analysis 2194 relevant online comments. The research identified that The Sims 4’s consumers had expectations that certain gameplay features, deemed authentic to the brand and included in previous games, would be included in the game. However, when they were not included, consumers lowered their evaluations of the game’s authenticity and value. Furthermore, consumers were frustrated that to get back these expected features they would have to create them themselves and they refused to do so. The findings advance knowledge of video game branding and provide practical implications for the industry. The industry cannot rely on consumers to create or fix a media brand’s authenticity, no matter how engaged or active their consumers might be. Instead, video game media brands must listen, engage, and communicate with their consumers to ensure they deliver brand authenticity and the features expected by consumers.