According to the latest echo chamber, marketing is dead. 

We don’t want to point the finger but in this article in PC Gamer, Larian’s publishing director argues marketing isn't the right way to reach today's gaming audience.

But it actually turns out that marketing isn’t just alive, it’s leveling up - and we will tell you why.

Without marketing, you can’t generate the thrill when you tease the next big game. The countdowns, the community buzz. It’s electric. In fact, according to DCI, countdown event timers can improve conversions by 432%.

There are so many games out there that you wouldn’t have heard about if it wasn’t for marketing - and there are so many you won’t hear about if they aren’t marketed right.

And that’s the key - the marketing has to be right. 

When it comes to marketing to the gaming audience, what does it need to be? (we’ve said it plenty of times before). That’s right, authentic. 

It isn’t just about working with high-profile influencers who have a huge following. It isn’t about buying followers. It’s about creating campaigns which resonate with your audience. 

As some might declare the age of marketing over, let's pour one out for those epic game launches that had us camping outside stores and those trailers that looked more like blockbuster movies.

And we’ve got a big one with the pre-launch of Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch.

In 2014, Blizzard made a surprise announcement about Overwatch at BlizzCon, going against much speculation about potential expansions of their existing franchises such as World of Warcraft.

When it came to marketing, they could have played it safe and kept it simple with a teaser trailer or demo but instead they released a six-minute cinematic trailer with intense CGI visuals.

You can watch the reveal trailer here.

This clever and strategically planned marketing campaign created one heck of a buzz. According to Polygon, the game reached 10 million players within the first month of its release and generated $1 billion in revenue within its first year [GamesIndustry.biz].

If that doesn’t prove our point, we don’t know what will.

But we can’t talk about the good without talking about the bad and ugly too. Marketing to gaming audiences doesn’t work when it's inauthentic and purely focussed on choosing influencers with a high number of followers.

‍(Want to learn more about mega vs micro influencers? Check out our blog.)

We don’t want to name and shame game devs and publishers, but influencers which have been selected for game launch campaigns include Kylie Jenner and Megan Fox. 

According to Click Analytic:

• Kylie’s audience is interested in luxury goods, beauty and cosmetics and fashion.
• Only 4% of her audience are interested in gaming.

We think that says it all.

Marketing isn’t just alive, it’s thriving in the gaming industry. 

The successful launches of games like Overwatch highlight the critical role marketing plays in building anticipation, engaging communities, leveraging social media, and creating cultural phenomena. As long as there are new games to be launched, strategic marketing will remain an indispensable part of ensuring their success.

Marketing strategies might evolve with changing times, but their core purpose of connecting games with their audiences endures, proving that marketing is far from dead in the realm of game launches.

If you need help getting your game into the spotlight, get in touch via our website or drop us an email on info@ggtalentgroup.com.

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