Custom games for business: why AI has made them affordableAdvergames and serious games have existed for decades but cost too much. How AI changed timelines and costs, and what it means for SMEs, with market data.5 min read
Custom games for business
Business
Business
meets play
We design and build custom games and interactive experiences that help companies promote their brand, train their people and engage their audiences.
The business case
Games for business are not new. Making them affordable is.
AI has cut the time and cost of building custom games, in a global market now worth over 200 billion dollars.
$201.6bn
global games market in 2025, up 9.1%.
Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 20263.7 billion
players worldwide in 2026.
Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 202690%
of game developers already use generative AI in their work.
Google Cloud and The Harris Poll, 2025
What we do
Three ways to put play to work.
From brand campaigns to corporate training, every game we make starts from a business objective.
01
Advergames
Branded games for marketing, events and lead generation. Your mascot, products and places become characters, worlds and challenges.
Marketing Explore advergames 02Serious Games
Interactive simulations for training, onboarding and culture. People learn by doing, and mistakes carry no real-world cost.
Learning Explore serious games 03AI Game Academy
A planned non-profit academy in San Marino, teaching young people to create video games with artificial intelligence.
In development Discover the academy
Why games
A game isn’t watched. It’s played.
Interaction changes how people pay attention, take part and remember.
01
Attention
From minutes to hours of interaction with your brand, instead of a few seconds of advertising.
02
Participation
Leaderboards, challenges and prizes turn audiences into players who share.
03
Learning by doing
Practise a procedure in a safe space before facing it for real.
04
Contacts and data
Players who sign up leave their contact details, with consent; scores and statistics show what your audience cares about.
From the team’s portfolio
The kind of games we build.
Selected projects by our creative director, Alexandro Buggero, to show what a Play2Business experience can be.
Grand Hotel Simulator
Six hotel jobs, from reception to kitchen, practised with real procedures. Students join from a QR code in seconds.
View project
Guanche & Tamarán
The history of Tenerife and Gran Canaria told as an action game, for schools, museums and destinations.
View project
Choco Flakes Run!
An endless runner starring a cereal mascot, reached through a QR code on the pack.
View project
The hotel in the guest’s phone
Branded games with leaderboards, activities, an AI assistant and live notifications, managed by staff from a single panel.
View project
Openhall
A congress centre rebuilt in 3D and open all year: meet people, present a project and attend shows from your phone, with no download.
View project
OBRA Fighters
A one-on-one fighting game built in about a week. The same method produced nine games in nine different genres.
View project© Alexandro Buggero. All rights reserved. Choco Flakes Run! is a demonstration prototype not commissioned by the brand; the Openhall demo was made on the author’s own initiative for a venue that is not a client. See the full portfolio ↗
How we work
From objective to game, in four moves.
Discover
We define the objective, the audience and what success looks like: visibility, leads, sales or skills.
Design
Concept, mechanics, characters and world, built around your brand and your message.
Build
An early playable prototype you can test, then refined together into the final version.
Launch
Release through QR codes, social channels and campaigns, with player analytics where useful.
With an AI-accelerated workflow, a simple mini-game can be ready in days; more complex projects take a few weeks.
Who we are
Business strategy and creative technology, in the same team.
Play2Business brings together international commercial experience and hands-on game development, so every project is both engaging to play and useful to the business behind it.
Alexandro Buggero & Nicholas Perpiglia
Blog
Ideas on games for business
Custom games for business: why AI has made them affordableAdvergames and serious games have existed for decades but cost too much. How AI changed timelines and costs, and what it means for SMEs, with market data.5 min read
Serious games for corporate training: what they are and when they workWhat serious games are, how they differ from gamification and e-learning, and when they really work in corporate training. With a real example.4 min read
What is an advergame? A practical guide for marketersWhat an advergame is, the main formats, historical examples and how to design one that works: a practical guide for marketing and brand managers.5 min read
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is an advergame?
An advergame is a video game built for a brand: the company’s products, mascot and values become characters, worlds and challenges. It is used to win attention, engagement and contacts, and is usually played on a phone through a link or QR code.
What is a serious game?
A serious game is designed to teach or train skills, not just to entertain: procedure simulations, staff training, onboarding, safety, education. People learn by doing, and mistakes carry no real-world consequences.
How long does it take to build a custom game?
With an AI-accelerated development method, a simple mini-game can be ready in a few days; a game with several levels, characters or 3D worlds takes a few weeks. Exact timelines depend on goals and content.
How much does an advergame or serious game cost?
It depends on goals, platforms and complexity: a mini-game for an event costs far less than an explorable 3D world. After a first conversation we prepare a clear quote, before any work starts.
Do players need to download an app?
No. Our games run in the browser of any phone, tablet or computer, through a link or QR code. Native iOS and Android apps are available on request.
Which languages and countries do you work in?
We work in Italian and English, between Italy, San Marino and the United Kingdom, and can run projects for companies in Italy and abroad. Games can be built in several languages.
Let’s play a different game.
Tell us about a business objective. We’ll come back with a concept and an idea of how a game could work for you. Partners and investors are welcome too.
[email protected] Request a proposal