“It definitely can [get in the way]. Taken to the extreme, where it becomes a mechanistic process, that would take the heart out of the creativity. But what we’ve seen is, the creativity still comes from the team,” says Reynolds. “It enables them to take bigger risks. Removing five features is something the creative team would have never been allowed to do it. But being able to put a safety net under the process and be able to back it up with hard facts, creatives can be bigger risk-takers.”

It’s not a bad pitch: More power to creatives! But what would Mario have been with A/B testing? Would that fireflower always be there? Would only some players find the hidden 1UP? Would Mario have even been Mario, or would his taller, svelter brother Luigi have garnered more appreciation from 5% of the populace, thereby taking over the entire franchise? Would Luigi have ditched the green overalls for a black leather jacket?

I'll give them the conclusion/secret. Real time first person shooters need to be able to support 24" and 30" monitors at extra-ultra graphical settings with 60+ FPS in all their graphic glory; casual games need to be able to be played with only one hand on the mouse.

There you go, the secret to success.