Sony has taken 2018 by storm with a few major pushes around PlayStation VR (PS VR), and so have we! One of the recent PS VR titles we launched is Secret Location’s Blasters of the Universe, a 90s-stylized retro arcade bullet hell. The game really feels and looks like a knockout hit, but the fact that it had already debuted on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive almost a year earlier meant securing coverage for it would be a much larger challenge. Despite this, it was still imperative we help give this insane title the bombastic PS VR release it deserved.

Our work on Blasters of the Universe began only a bit more than a month before the release date, meaning we had little time to waste before kicking our asses into high-gear. In order to improve upon the game’s coverage around the Oculus Rift and Vive releases, Secret Location tasked us with hitting key performance indicators including securing coverage with media not captured in the first launch outreach and earning an official Metascore. Meeting these goals   meant we needed to mostly focus on our core gaming enthusiast and PlayStation-focused outlets; doing so helped us diversify from the coverage secured during the initial launch.

We kickstarted the campaign with a “Coming Soon” announcement to put the game back on the media’s radar and secured initial coverage with major entertainment and gaming outlets Comic Book, Flickering Myth and One Angry Gamer, in addition to prominent VR interest sites such as UploadVR and VRFocus. Expanding our outreach across these verticals, as well as targeting PlayStation-focused sites such as TheSixthAxis and PSNation, we took the necessary steps to lock in as much coverage possible for a game that had already launched on other platforms.

Maintaining the momentum, we then began pitching developer interviews and specialized feature stories. Large niche outlets such as PlayStation LifeStyle jumped at the interview opportunity and variety sites including Tech Times especially loved our “Top Tips and Tricks” article pitch – an especially relevant piece since Blasters of the Universe is so damn difficult! We topped off our diverse range of feature stories by securing a list-style article with UploadVR rounding up some of the other VR games that are indirectly excellent for fitness.

We admit, the standard (but crucial!) PR practice of distributing press releases and pitching features can grow tiresome, so when Secret Location had us send out custom and very “punny” Valentine’s Day cards to media, we were naturally very grateful for the change of pace.

Thankfully, our very own Shannon Brown is a true master of the pun and put together quite the ridiculous pitch to accompany our sending of the digital V-Day cards. While we never suggest these kinds of tactics will result in coverage, our media and influencer contacts absolutely ate these up, a great sign that Blasters of the Universe was being kept top-of-mind.

Over the course of our short PR campaign, our efforts resulted in Blasters of the Universe being covered and reviewed by many of our top targets. The game now has an official Metascore and also gained the favor of influencers including PSVR Frank and Mitsuownes. To secure coverage from outlets who had already reviewed the game on different platforms, we made sure to pitch alternative opportunities, including gameplay videos, giveaways and other feature opportunities. All said and done, we helped put Blasters in front of an estimated 130 million Unique Monthly Visitors and nearly five million social media followers, far exceeding coverage from the Oculus and Vive launches. And we had a… *blast* while doing it!

Check out the links below to see some of our top coverage across the PR beats.