PSXEWith big games like GTA and Assassin’s Creedtaking many thousands of hours to develop the costs are huge and have to be covered before a single game is bought. So, far in advance of any of us getting near to playing that new video game the developers and their marketing teams are already planning how to launch and market it. The problem with this is that they are largely starting with nothing to work with. It’s as if a new car launch is being prepared without a single model being ready to show to the world.
And, without a very effective marketing strategy, there’s a very real danger that the game will be lost amongst the hundreds of others that are released every year. To ensure a big launch there are essentially four key stages of the marketing strategy that broadly follow the classic AIDA sequence of enticement.
Awareness
At the very beginning of the process the key is to simply make would-be players aware that there is a new game, or a new version of an existing one, on the way.
Because information is sparse at this point this can take the form of simple communications like the game title, a generic image and the fact that it’s on the way. This is generally enough to get people speculating about the game itself. At this stage there might also be a press release sent out to gaming review sites with some basic information. In some instances the developer might have created just enough game action to make a trailer. This may not even be a scene that makes its way into the actual game once it’s been launched.
Interest
As more and more material becomes available to the marketing team it’s time to start cranking up the interest among players and reviewers. So, it may be possible to create a more complex and layered trailer as well as providing more actual information about the game for anyone who’s interested. So this will start to give a few more examples of the sort of gameplay that’s in the game as well as sharing any special features that it might include.
Desire
As the launch date approaches the marketing effort starts to really kick up a gear. Longer trailers are made available and information about pricing could start to be released.
There’s also likely to be a big upsurge in the amount of social media buzz that’s being generated about the game. There’s a growing use of influencers to promote games so some of these may also be given BETA versions of the game to play and comment on to their followers. Gaming writers and reviewers will also probably be issued with press packs that include elements like screenshots, demos and game-related merchandise.
The whole purpose of this phase of the marketing is to whip up desire among would-be players to pre-order the game. To incentivise them there can even be bonuses and offers. This is something that another games-adjacent sector also uses very successfully. In the competitive online casino sector in Canada there are many new entrants to the market looking to gain a foothold. So, they use sites like Casino.org to both review those online casinos and publicise their latest incentives and joining bonuses.
Action
When the game’s launch date arrives it’s likely that there will be a big push to get it reviewed on all of the leading sites as well as getting influencers to stream themselves playing it on Twitch and other online platforms.
Players are also encouraged to share their own content, possibly also taking part in competitions to win game-related prizes. Increasingly, there’s also the use of referral programmes to get players to invite their friends to play.
The post launch marketing activity goes on in much the same vein, hopefully with sales numbers growing organically.
International considerations
Gaming is a truly international business. So, just as consumer brands have to market worldwide, so do games.
So there are a number of international marketing considerations that have to be taken into account whenever a game is launched worldwide. These range from the sensitivity to cultural differences as well as to the use of language. There are many famous stories of words in one language meaning something completely inappropriate in another. A prime example was the GM car called a Nova which was launched in Spain where “No va” means “No go”.
There are also pricing considerations to be taken into account. So a game costing $60 in the US will have to retail for far less in countries like India and Indonesia where people’s disposable income is considerably less.
So, as you can see, marketing games is a complex and sometimes high risk business. And it’s also worth remembering that however good the campaign is, if the game’s not up to scratch it will all have been for nothing.