January can seem like an entertainment wasteland. Whether it’s movies, TV or gaming, companies classically view January as a hibernation period or – more nefariously – a dumping ground for botched projects.

For 505 Games and Typhoon Studios though, this lull provided the perfect launching pad for our PR endeavors with laugh-a-minute sci-fi exploration game, Journey to the Savage Planet (JTSP).  After a slew of high-profile video game delays announced this January, the gaming landscape was looking barren…hopeless…bleak, until JTSP came along.

The lead-up to JTSP’s launch certainly wasn’t slouching, especially with a splashy reveal at the 2018 Game Awards. We also helped 505 Games with a banner year (Control, Indivisible) in 2019 that drew much-needed attention to its future projects. Between those attention-grabbers and our successful efforts demoing JTSP to hundreds of media and influencers at GDC, PAX West and E3, we helped 505 and Typhoon set the stage for a great launch, even though it’s the first game from a brand-new studio and it’s an original IP.

Thankfully, all the PR hoopla we helped generate paid off in spades as we pitched reviews after winter break and secured a meteor shower of interest from damn near every top gaming outlet out there. In just a few short days, we handed out over 100 review keys, hit all our key targets and established a massive media review campaign.

Flying parallel to media reviews, we focused a separate team’s efforts entirely on leading a similarly colossal influencer campaign to capture interest from our contacts on Twitch, Mixer and YouTuber. After weeks of research and coordination, we implemented 505 Games’ “early access” program for influencers by stagger-scheduling people to post their video content or start livestreams in the days leading up to launch. Dozens of influencers followed tight embargo details that allowed them to show-off gameplay ahead of launch in a galactic-sized-win-win-scenario: 505 Games bolsters its relationship with those participating by giving them unique access to the game; influencers get to create content for a highly-anticipated game before anyone else in the world.

By Tuesday, Jan. 28, JTSP launched with an array of established influencer streams/videos and media reviews with the brunt of them highly positive and glowing. It wasn’t easy, but with JTSP, we helped 505 Games and Typhoon Studios prove January doesn’t have to be a supermassive black hole of entertainment.

Check out some of the major reviews and influencer hits we secured for JTSP: