When the Wonacott team first learned about Hyper Universe, we immediately knew it possessed some serious potential. This action-packed side-scrolling MOBA/brawler hybrid, developed by Nexon America and Cwavesoft, was certainly unique enough to find its own niche in the world of PC gaming. One would think that an experience such as Hyper Universe, with its unapologetic mashup of both familiar characters and gaming genres alike, would practically sell itself. However, the task of positioning a product like Hyper Universe can be a real challenge when there are so many things that it is not.

When Hyper Universe was first unveiled at PAX South 2017, we knew it would be difficult to avoid being compared to MOBAs already on the market. Hyper Universe came to the public through Early Access in August 2017, affording media, influencers and consumers the chance to get a feel for the unique play style the game offered. As the development team made improvements throughout the Early Access period, they introduced new characters and added to the already extensive roster of pop-culture-inspired heroes. We leveraged this for some awesome media attention, while Nexon drew players back into the game who otherwise might have written it off sooner.

As Hyper Universe’s official launch neared, we had to face the challenge of branding the game as free, without entering the negative territory associated with “freemium” games with built-in costs. We worked closely with editors that were already familiar with the game and genre, ensuring their audiences understood why Hyper Universe deserved their time. Similarly, we broadened our target range to also include anime and brawler media enthusiasts, who might have not considered investigating Hyper Universe on their own. Despite the game being in the public eye for nearly a year since its introduction in January 2017, we successfully garnered launch coverage from more than two dozen North American gaming outlets and more than 50 throughout its Early Access period.

PC Gamer said,” If Street Fighter were a MOBA, it’d look like this” and that “the genre combination is novel and it’s fun learning which skills lead to others.” MMO Huts speaks positively about the game saying, “Hyper Universe is Nexon’s answer to doing something different in the genre, creating a 2D side-scrolling action MOBA.”

Now that the game is officially live, this is only the beginning of what Hyper Universe has to offer. We look forward to helping achieve the potentials of such a unique game, from updates to competitions!