I used to work for a traditional Game Publisher. More specifically, spearheading the marketing bringing Triple AAA Games to Market in a Big Way.
Pre-sales programs with incentives, Limited Editions, Retail partnerships and co-promotional media spends, end caps and shelf talkers. PR plans, first look demos, media spends and Front of box designs. Trailer release plans and media spends on Gametrailers! Window clings! Pre-roll teasers, Outdoor bus-sides and building murals. All Trying to answer the demand for the incessant question:
"WHERE IS THE BUZZ!?!?!?" (but in size 64 font, no joke).
All in service of helping customers discover the games. And to get them to shell out their hard-earned dollars (and Euros and Yen) for brand-new shiny copies wrapped nicely in plastic.
Well the gaming landscape has seen so many seismic shifts in the past 10+ years...(Playstation 2 rules the world, Playstation 3 collects dust, Playstation 4 Sony returns). But what I personally notice most is that my discovery process for new games has fundamentally changed. Sure, I still go to Polygon.com every once in a while to catch up on the latest big releases and dramas. But the fundamental truth is the good games find me. They find me through the people who I know and I trust on social media, and more specifically, Twitter.
Hopalite and First Strike are my current guilty pleasures on iOS. And when it comes to Steam gaming, how else do you find out about games? I follow @Nimblebit and @Spryfox and dozens of other indie game makers. They love games. And they "talk" about the games that interest them....Luftrausers, The Long Dark, TinyKeep, The Nightmare Cooperative, The Gods Will Be Watching, Day-Z. I in turn dig deeper, follow their development, watch their live streaming -- and frequently buy them.
Which seems like a much more efficient system for discovery, don't you?
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