EXPRESS: How Star Power Drives Video Game Success

Abstract

Well-known actors, or stars, clearly are relevant for movies. Today, their influence also extends to interactive video games, for which budgets have reached triple-digit millions of dollars. Yet no existing research addresses the economic impact of star power on video game success, across various game traits and reviews. Analyzing video games released on the popular distribution platform Steam between 2008 and 2022, the current study reveals that casting stars as game characters has positive effects on the valence of professional reviews, which in turn affect game success. Stars can therefore increase the quality of a game and also reduce uncertainty about it. This impact varies depending on game traits though. Based on these results, the authors develop an interactive dashboard that managers can use to simulate how they can strategically leverage star power to increase game success.