The gaming market has changed significantly since MYI was founded in 2016. While the focus was initially on e-sports and events, the agency is now seeing increasing demand for comprehensive marketing solutions for gaming, nerd and pop culture. "Gaming has evolved from a niche market to the mainstream," says CEO Cédric Schlosser. "Our clients are looking for strategies to address the gamer target group authentically." The agency is thus repositioning itself as a comprehensive full-service advertising agency in the gaming sector.

The target group of gamers is considered to be particularly resistant to advertising: many use ad blockers and react skeptically to traditional campaigns. At the same time, it is large - around two million people in Switzerland play games regularly and the average age is 42. MYI sees itself as a link between brands and the community. "We are gamers ourselves, so we are also the most critical testers of our work," says Schlosser.

With the repositioning, MYI is also renaming itself: the "Entertainment" in the name has been dropped to avoid misunderstandings. The design is also being revised - including a playable feature on the website. The agency, which has around 40 employees, sees itself as a full-service partner for companies that want to integrate gaming into their brand strategy.

Hakan Pazarcikli has made a name for himself as the founder of the largest console gaming community in Switzerland and brings extensive industry knowledge to MYI. In recent years, he has developed and implemented various projects in the gaming and sports sector. "Gaming and sport offer huge potential for innovative synergies. I am looking forward to breaking new ground with our team and combining these exciting worlds," says Hakan Pazarcikli.

Cédric Schlosser, Managing Partner & CEO at MYIadds: "I have known Hakan for almost a decade now. Similar to the founders of MYI, Hakan has spent years tackling projects in the field of esports & gaming out of pure passion. With him, we are not only gaining an experienced expert who understands the dynamics of gaming and sports, but also a colleague who shares our values and fits perfectly into the team." And with a view to the Esports Olympics or projects such as the Icon League, Schlosser continues: "Together with Hakan, we want to combine sports and gaming even more and expand our skills in the area of entertainment."

MYI Entertainment is one of the leading 360° agencies for gaming, nerd and pop culture in the DACH region. It manages gaming engagements for well-known brands such as Swisscom, Fisherman's Friend, Logitech, Interdiscount and Red Bull. On the basis of services, consulting, events and communication, MYI Entertainment supports clients in all aspects of gaming: from conception to implementation and production. MYI Entertainment is also active in the market with its own products such as HeroFest, SwitzerLAN and Switzerland's most successful e-sports team "mYinsanity".

With a career spanning 17 years as a copywriter, concept developer and creative director, coupled with over three decades of experience in the gaming world, Fabian Zahner brings a "unique blend of creative flair and industry-specific know-how", the agency writes in a press release. In his new role as Creative Mind, he will act as an interface between creation, conception and business development.

Zahner is an enthusiastic gamer and has built up extensive knowledge of the gaming industry and its diverse subcultures over the years. This makes him a bridge builder between creative visions and communicative goals, it continues.

"The gaming sector still offers many untapped opportunities for brands. With the right strategy and presence, we can reach and inspire four million Swiss gamers. I'm looking forward to finding and implementing new ideas together with the MYI Entertainment crew," says Zahner about his ambitions at MYI.

His professional background includes Publicis, Inhalt & Form, FCB Zurich, Jung von Matt/Limmat and most recently MRB. According to COO Manuel Oberholzer, this background was also particularly interesting: "With Fabian's expertise, we are making targeted investments in the classic communications sector because our clients are continuously requesting more implementations in this area."

Creative Director Nicolas Sägesser adds: "Gaming is a central component of today's youth and pop culture. With our expertise and proximity to the target group, we develop holistic strategies for our clients to address gaming and nerd culture. With Fabian, we are bringing a veteran of the advertising scene on board to exploit the full potential in terms of communication."

The MYI Entertainment agency now has 40 employees in Zurich, Bern and Germany.

Originally known for organizing various events, the agency Myi, which has been active since 2016, has since expanded its services to include creative concept development, digital campaigns and consulting in communication and product development in the gaming sector. The company has three offices in the DACH region. "We are a very young and ambitious team. For some time now, we have been looking for someone who can support Myi in our expansion and further establishment in the DACH market. We are delighted to have Thorsten on our Advisory Board, who not only brings an exciting backpack with him, but also shares our entrepreneurial spirit," says CEO Cédric Schlosser on the announcement.

Thorsten Unger is an expert, author and entrepreneur in the field of games and digital education. From January 2013 to December 2016, he was Managing Director of the Game Bundesverband der deutschen Games-Branche e.V. and spokesperson for the Film and Audiovisual Media section of the German Cultural Council. From 2012 to 2022, he was a member of the advisory board of the Federal Government's Competence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries for ten years. He is currently a board member for digital transformation at the NextMG e.V. business initiative. As an entrepreneur, he runs the Wegesrand Group, among others. With the Swedish Edyoutec AB, he is building a listed provider of playful learning technologies. With Texentium in Mönchengladbach, he runs a meeting place for all aspects of the digital society, creates advisory services and networks experts.

"Behind Myi lies considerable success, and ahead of Myi lies considerable growth potential in the very exciting corridor between games and communication. As a member of the Advisory Board, I am delighted to be able to support the highly committed team in the further development of the company with my experience, network and critical scrutiny," says Thorsten Unger.

Since its foundation in 2016, Myi Entertainment claims to have developed into a leading competence center for gaming and esports in Switzerland. The agency has also been active in Germany for three years. Having grown from the implementation of various events, the range of services has now expanded. Myi develops creative concepts, implements digital campaigns, manages social media channels and advises companies on communication and product development in the gaming sector. The company recently won silver at the Best of Swiss Web and first place at the Sponsoring Excellence Award. Myi Entertainment is now being supported by Raphael Bienz in order to continue to ensure the quality of service and overcome the challenges associated with growth.

"In recent years, we have been able to grow to a team of around 40 employees. Myi's journey is set to continue rapidly and successfully. However, growth always comes with challenges, especially for a young team like ours. In Raphael Bienz, we have gained an experienced agency founder who has already taken these steps and whose experience will provide us with ideal support," explains CEO Cédric Schlosser.

Raphael Bienz's marketing expertise is characterized by creativity and data. With international consulting and project experience, he stands for effective digital strategies and convincing campaigns. Before joining Farner, he managed the digital agency Blueglass Interactive for over 13 years and co-founded a start-up in the field of esports, gaming events and live stream production. He is also involved as a speaker at various universities, symposia and conferences and is a member of the X27 core team for the next Swiss National Exhibition.

"I have known the people behind Myi for many years, whether through business partnerships or a game of Overwatch. I've always been impressed by the team's inspiring drive and their creative qualities. So I'm all the more looking forward to working with them," says Bienz.

According to the study, around four million gamers between the ages of 15 and 79 live in Switzerland. Half of them play video games several times a week or even daily and are classified as "core gamers. Six out of ten "core gamers" play mainly on mobile devices.

As the study reveals, however, Swiss gamers do not all tick and gamble in the same way, but can be divided into six different gaming types, such as the very passionate "Explorer," who plays an average of 10.5 hours a week and spends around CHF 250 a year on gaming. Other segments are "Competitor," "Companion," "Laid Back," "Seeker" and "Time Filler.

Swiss gamers are on average 39.1 years old and actively play games for 6 hours per week, with the "core gamer" at 41.8 years being about five years older than the "non-core gamer" at 36.5 years. The most frequently cited motives for playing video games include "relaxing/taking it easy" and "drifting off/distracting", but also "strategic challenges".

In addition, around every second person surveyed watches others play video games on live streaming platforms such as Twitch and/or video portals such as YouTube. They do this for between three and four hours a week on average. The popularity and use of social media platforms depends strongly on age. While Discord and Twitch are particularly popular with Generation Z, Facebook is especially favored by boomers.

As far as active participation in future gaming events is concerned, especially online one-off events, the two gamer types "Competitor" and "Companion" in particular show the greatest interest.

"The heart of the study is the analysis of the motives of active and passive gaming consumption. It provides us with insights into the different motivations why people turn to video games and helps us understand what needs gamers:inside have," explains Christian Hergott, Senior Consultant at MYI Entertainment. "In a very dynamic market, it is a constant and results in concrete decisions and behavior patterns. With this basis, we can create even more targeted added value in the future and further develop the Swiss gaming market."

"It's very exciting to see how differently Swiss gamers tick and what their various motives are for consuming video games," adds Steffen Schmidt, Director Marketing Science & Agile Insights at Link. "I'm also very pleased that we were able to clearly show that gaming in Switzerland is no longer a nerdy niche topic, but is present in all segments of the population. For me, this fundamental study is virtually a fine insight diamond for Swiss marketing as a whole."

The Insight dashboard for the study by Link and Myi Entertainment can be can be accessed here.

Philipp "Liva" Bürkner has made a name for himself in the fighting games community. After training as a software developer, he quickly went freelance as a live content producer. In 2015, he founded Geeky Goon Squad, became a Twitch partner and experienced explosive growth.

The Twitch channel of Geeky Goon Squad currently has around 65,000 followers and is considered the first port of call for the production of European events around the game Super Smash Bros, according to a statement from MYI Entertainment. But the brand is also responsible for productions in other games, such as the fighting segment at the DreamHack gaming festival.

Acquisition by MYI Entertainment

MYI Entertainment has decided to acquire Geeky Goon Squad, making Philipp Bürkner its new Production Specialist. For the agency for Esports and Gaming, which operates in the DACH region, this step is an investment in the growth of MYI Entertainment in three respects, according to the statement.

With Philipp Bürkner on the team, the agency would secure further expertise in livestreaming, enabling it to offer clients larger productions from its own resources. Bürkner also has an extensive network, which MYI Entertainment will use to expand its own position in the German market. Furthermore, Geeky Goon Squad is one of the most established brands in the European Smash Bros. scene. The Esports agency then plans to develop this further - with fresh content and new competition formats.

Realize more extensive projects

Bürkner has always been self-employed since 2015. "Esports is growing and growing and I also wanted to develop further," he says, explaining his decision to give up self-employment and move to MYI Entertainment. "At MYI Entertainment, I can continue to pursue my passion and realize productions on an even higher level. Furthermore, I'm looking forward to working in a team again, exchanging ideas with others and generating new ideas together."