If you haven’t heard of the pop culture TV show phenomenon Rick and Morty, you probably haven’t been reading anything online for the past few years. We were stoked to work on the PlayStation VR (PS VR) adaptation of this new cult-classic franchise with Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. Since the game already launched on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, we endeavored to make the PS VR retail launch as impactful as possible.

Generating excitement for staggered VR platform launches can be a bit tricky since most game hype and review interest centers around the initial release. Still, we made sure to target PlayStation-specific and VR-focused outlets in addition to general gaming media and generated exceptional buzz around the retail launch news.

For the retail launch announcement, we secured news postings with well-known gaming sites including Destructoid, Shacknews and Hardcore Gamer, as well as enthusiast sites such as VRFocus and Pure PlayStation. Though many outlets reviewed the game on separate VR platforms, we tracked down the right editors to check out the PS VR version, which included websites GameZone, DualShockers and PlayStation Universe.

With the limited retail collector’s edition, we also seized the opportunity to secure earned coverage beyond news and review placements through pitching an unboxing video campaign to top media and influencers. There’s an enthusiastic influencer community around PS VR and Funko Pop! collectibles that we knew we could tap into. This community exposure for the collector’s edition bolstered our overall retail campaign, especially for gamers who may typically stick to digital purchases.

Through our pitching, we secured prominent unboxing video coverage with both media and influencers. Mega entertainment and gaming site IGN and long-running gaming site DualShockers were just two of our strongest media hits. We made sure to reach the right consumer audiences by targeting PS VR and Funko Pop!-focused YouTubers, and organized videos with influencers including Nerd Therapy, PSVR frank and Pop Fun To Play.

Check out the links below to see some of our top coverage for the PS VR retail launch.