As we welcome in the new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on a few of the incredible indie games that made headlines at the end of 2021. Throughout September, October and November, we helped our friends at Nighthawk Interactive, Sold Out, Nexon, United Label and MK Games launch a half dozen very different – but equally as awesome – new games. For each, we tailored our PR strategies to meet our clients’ unique goals to deliver dazzling headlines and reviews.
Painting Without a Paintbrush with Colors Live on the Nintendo Switch
First up was Nighthawk’s Colors Live, which allows players to bring their own personal art studio anywhere, create an endless portfolio of digital works and share their creations with a community of gamer artists. With a sonar pen in hand, players can easily experiment with colors, textures and shapes and even take on painting challenges to improve their skills. Leading up to the game’s launch, our team curated a list of art, gaming and Nintendo media and influencers who we knew would appreciate the creative freedom and helpful tools provided by Colors Live. As a result, we secured hits with IGN, Nintendo Life, iMore, Nintendo Wire, Touch Arcade, Hardcore Gamer and Noisy Pixel.
Rocking the Media Waves with No Straight Roads: Encore Edition
Soon after the launch of Colors Live, our friends at Sold Out recruited us to help with the fast-approaching release of one of their indie hits on PC. Following the success of its launch on consoles a year prior, rock ‘n’ roll action-adventure No Straight Roads was back for an encore with its October 2021 release on Steam. The launch also brought with it all-new song remixes, an epic opening cinematic, Christmas Edition content update and quality of life improvements. Despite the short notice, our team hit the ground running to ensure No Straight Roads wouldn’t be a one-hit wonder. We quickly compiled a list of our gaming, geek and music-lover contacts. Thanks to our swift reaction and established connections with media, we secured hits with The Gamer, Nerd Stash, Worthplaying and more.
Revealing the Truth with Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View
Following the release of No Straight Roads, our team quickly shifted focus to Sold Out’s next release: detective thriller Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View. We knew players and media alike would be hooked by the curious case of the missing 8-year-old Charlotte May; Therefore, we researched and compiled targeted media lists of mystery enthusiasts and adventure gaming and geek media. As a result, we locked in placements with Adventure Gamers, GBATemp, The Geekiary, Saving Content and more.
Recruiting Media to Join the Fight in Blue Archive
The global launch of the highly anticipated anime mobile game Blue Archive from publisher Nexon was next on our radar. Leading up to the game’s release, we began compiling a massive, yet strategically targeted list of gaming, anime and mobile outlets from around the globe who would be enthralled by the game’s cast of adorable, yet deadly high school students. Our efforts resulted in placements with massive mobile game outlets Pocket Tactics and Pocket Gamer, as well as guides from Pocket Tactics, Touch Tap and Play and Gamer Braves.
Immersing Global Media with the Legend of Sun Wukong in The Monkey King: The Adventure Begins
Next up was the release of epic fighting game The Monkey King: The Adventure Begins, which launched globally on mobile devices on Nov. 23. This first-of-its-kind 3D AR game takes the classic characters from the legendary Chinese tale “Journey to the West” and transports them into the real world to battle. With an abundance of Monkey King films, television series, books and games already available, we knew we needed to research and create a highly curated list of contacts and emphasize the game’s unique AR features in order to cut through the noise. Our research paid off, and we secured coverage with multiple gaming and geek outlets including Bleeding Cool, NoobFeed, and WorthPlaying.
Scurrying Back into the Brutal Souls-Like Tails of Iron with the Bloody Whiskers DLC
Last, but not least, we turned our attention to our friends at United Label to aid with the release of the Tails of Iron Bloody Whiskers DLC. This was the first DLC update since the game’s launch in September (which you can read all about it in our blog post here). The free update included a ton of new features such as a thrilling post-game questline, five new bosses, outfits, weapon skins and two difficulty modes. With months of research already under our belts from the initial launch, we went to work fine tuning our existing lists and building a pitch that we knew would recapture media’s attention. Once again, we landed placements for Tails of Iron with top-tier media worldwide, including IGN, Nintendo Life, GamePur, Hobby Consolas, Push Square and many more.
Look out for even more indie gaming fun throughout the new year, as our clients have some special titles coming in 2022!