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Introducing the session with her trademark humor, Mouseler reframed the idea of “fresh formats” as fresh takes — a necessary shift in a landscape increasingly shaped by digital creators, social video culture, and hybrid production models. She added that "Content creators don't care about fresh formats. Content creators are the IPS!
This year’s presentation clearly reflected a major industry shift: content creators and YouTubers are no longer peripheral innovators but central drivers of format development. She added, with a touch of irony, that this realization came after “surviving” more than 10,000 hours of content produced by digital creators.
The Rise of the “Crowded Floor Game”
One of the strongest trends identified was what Mouseler called the “crowded floor game” — large-scale competition formats built around dense physical environments, collective tension, and game-mechanics inspired by gaming culture and survival narratives. Examples include:
Floor Survival (China) – contestants compete within a highly populated arena, where strategy and positioning are as important as skill. The show was launched last October 2025 on Youku (Svod) in which 30 players find themselves in a mysterious six-story building, symbolizing vital energy. They must face six survival challenges combining physical trials, mental agility, and team spirit. Participants are gradually eliminated. Only one will make the top floor and win the ultimate key to energy.
In Finale Gate (Turkey, Mahzen Media), 300 participants are tested in physical and mental challenges. The 50 finalists enter a 10-day competition combining endurance challenges, strategy, speed and intuition.
In South Korea, Synchro Game (tvN / Prime Video) is the newest format launched by CJENM in which paris of “brains” and “brawn” with complementary skills, must work together remotely to complete missions.
These formats combine a mass-competition structure with high-concept staging reminiscent of immersive gaming or Squid Game-style atmospheres. The appeal lies in visual density, constant action, and strong social dynamics, making these formats highly adaptable for both television and streaming platforms.
Imagination Without Limits – The Absurd Game Mechanic
Japanese creator Hitoshi Matsumoto (internationally known for LOL), continues to push conceptual boundaries, as seen with Zone05 (Downtown +) and Fall, in which challengers are called to a remote quarry in the middle of the night, where they must face 100 areas resembling “traps”. But only one of these traps is a real hole. If a challenger manages to fall into this hole, they win the game.
As Mouseler noted, the logic of game design has evolved: “For years you had to avoid falling. Now you win if you fall.” This inversion of expectations reflects a broader trend toward high-concept, viral-ready game mechanics designed to capture attention instantly across platforms.
Among entertainment formats, Mouseler highlighted the “Crowded Floor Dating”.
One example is a Spanish improv-based dating show on Prime Video, This is not a Dating Show, where participants engage in humorous interactions guided by a comedian host. The tone deliberately avoids the emotional pressure typical of reality dating, reflecting audience demand for feel-good, low-stress entertainment. The format also connects to the viral YouTube concept Updating, originally launched in 2019 and now being adapted for television by ITV Studios.
Mystery, Imposters and Social Deduction
Another strong current comes from the popularity of imposter mechanics, widely used by digital creators.
Notable cases include based on bluffing and deception, like the Costantin Entertainment show broadcast in Germany on Das Erste, ,titled the Deadly Game Murder Tödliches Spiel – Das Live-Krimi-Dinner (The Live Murder Mystery Dinner).
Among the examples: the French YouTube hit Who’s the Murderer? by creator Squeezie (20+ million subscribers) and The Dinner coproduced by Talpa Studios and Banijay Rights. Five celebrities share their most bizarre stories. They have to find out who’s lying in order to win a cash prize.
In Who’s the chef? A branded Algerian cooking format where contestants must identify the participant who cannot cook, with a hidden accomplice among the judges, is another title presented by Mouseler as an example.These shows combine gameplay, narrative tension and social psychology, making them highly engaging for younger audiences.
The Rise of the “Crowded Floor Game”
One of the strongest trends identified was what Mouseler called the “crowded floor game” — large-scale competition formats built around dense physical environments, collective tension, and game-mechanics inspired by gaming culture and survival narratives. Examples include:
Floor Survival (China) – contestants compete within a highly populated arena, where strategy and positioning are as important as skill. The show was launched last October 2025 on Youku (Svod) in which 30 players find themselves in a mysterious six-story building, symbolizing vital energy. They must face six survival challenges combining physical trials, mental agility, and team spirit. Participants are gradually eliminated. Only one will make the top floor and win the ultimate key to energy.
In Finale Gate (Turkey, Mahzen Media), 300 participants are tested in physical and mental challenges. The 50 finalists enter a 10-day competition combining endurance challenges, strategy, speed and intuition.
In South Korea, Synchro Game (tvN / Prime Video) is the newest format launched by CJENM in which paris of “brains” and “brawn” with complementary skills, must work together remotely to complete missions.
These formats combine a mass-competition structure with high-concept staging reminiscent of immersive gaming or Squid Game-style atmospheres. The appeal lies in visual density, constant action, and strong social dynamics, making these formats highly adaptable for both television and streaming platforms.
Imagination Without Limits – The Absurd Game Mechanic
Japanese creator Hitoshi Matsumoto (internationally known for LOL), continues to push conceptual boundaries, as seen with Zone05 (Downtown +) and Fall, in which challengers are called to a remote quarry in the middle of the night, where they must face 100 areas resembling “traps”. But only one of these traps is a real hole. If a challenger manages to fall into this hole, they win the game.
As Mouseler noted, the logic of game design has evolved: “For years you had to avoid falling. Now you win if you fall.” This inversion of expectations reflects a broader trend toward high-concept, viral-ready game mechanics designed to capture attention instantly across platforms.
Among entertainment formats, Mouseler highlighted the “Crowded Floor Dating”.
One example is a Spanish improv-based dating show on Prime Video, This is not a Dating Show, where participants engage in humorous interactions guided by a comedian host. The tone deliberately avoids the emotional pressure typical of reality dating, reflecting audience demand for feel-good, low-stress entertainment. The format also connects to the viral YouTube concept Updating, originally launched in 2019 and now being adapted for television by ITV Studios.
Mystery, Imposters and Social Deduction
Another strong current comes from the popularity of imposter mechanics, widely used by digital creators.
Notable cases include based on bluffing and deception, like the Costantin Entertainment show broadcast in Germany on Das Erste, ,titled the Deadly Game Murder Tödliches Spiel – Das Live-Krimi-Dinner (The Live Murder Mystery Dinner).
Among the examples: the French YouTube hit Who’s the Murderer? by creator Squeezie (20+ million subscribers) and The Dinner coproduced by Talpa Studios and Banijay Rights. Five celebrities share their most bizarre stories. They have to find out who’s lying in order to win a cash prize.
In Who’s the chef? A branded Algerian cooking format where contestants must identify the participant who cannot cook, with a hidden accomplice among the judges, is another title presented by Mouseler as an example.These shows combine gameplay, narrative tension and social psychology, making them highly engaging for younger audiences.
Despite the focus on spectacle and digital influence, Mouseler closed with a reminder that emotional storytelling remains essential. A South Korean factual-entertainment format centered on rescuing abandoned dogs offered a more intimate, values-driven narrative — highlighting the continued importance of empathy-based content in a high-concept era.
