Why marketing will be uber-important at release

Off-topic
#1

Overhyping a game way before release date is detrimental to its performance at release. Games that have hype built up around them way before release tend to be forgotten about unless:
a.)They have an excellent marketing scheme
b.)They’re a giant, triple-A title that appeals to the casuals

Now seeing as there is quite a bit of hype for this game, I’m slightly concered about the marketing plans. Marketing isn’t what it once was, put a few ads on the side of the road, maybe make a little commercial, bang you’re done. If KCD wants to succeed in its ambitions and create the prototype for future, RPGs, marketing has to be brutally pushed. It’s the only way a game can survive. Remember Psychonauts? No, of course you don’t. It was a great game with terrible marketing and look where it ended up. The Witcher 3 spent 36 million on marketing, a lot more than they spent on making the actualy game…Now of course this shouldn’t be pushed THAT extreme (that’s practically impossible anyway), but I want this game to succeed.
The fact that the game is self-published can lead to either of two things:
Either it totally fails because of lack of marketing funding OR it succeeds immensely like many other popular indie titles. This totally depends on what other releases we’ll see at that point, which is why it’d be wise to just stick to good-old marketing. Because a successful game means more content, more content means more gameplay.
Anyone disagree?

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#2

I understand what you’re getting at. I think this type of game would benefit from grassroots hype, fed by more videos on their YouTube channel.

They currently have 29 videos, ranging from 24k views to 367k. I think that’s pretty good, but if they released more videos, with good content of course, then I think that number will continue to climb. Would be nice to get a video to a million views.

I think negatively impacting over-hype is usually caused by doing commercials or more “big name publisher” type things, and just saturating the market with it.

#3

Overhyping and over-advertising is definitely bad (I don’t think that an indie-published game can really cause saturation though), but seeing as how the game generates a lot of hype, doing what you said would be a good idea for the time being, but there would have to be an all-out marketing campaign when the game is released. I’m talking about trailers, ads, giving reviewers codes for the game (a great reviewer to do so would be Angry Joe, who’s already expressed his approval and has already pledged to the game).

#4

This thread summarizes my opinions on the topic rather well Is it time to start advertising?.

Hype for this title (especially in the last few months) has grown immensely without the aid of some traditional branding and marketing techniques.

I remember a year ago very few people online I would talk to (while playing LIF, Chivalry, or talking on any forum) had heard anything about KC:D.

Now with still a year (at minimum) until release, all over on FB (HEMA groups, gaming groups, etc cetera), Youtube, chat in any online medieval game you can find people talking about KC:D. WarHorses appearance at E3 was a major boost to all this.

Generally games that get hyped and have minimal marketing do fail and slip off into obscurity, but I don’t see that happening with KC:D.

This game is in many ways pushing the envelope on many facets of the gaming industry whether its success at crowd funding, being active and transparent game Developers, or the core fact that its a game that the industry Rejected because they believed there was no market for it. Its going to be hard to forget the big F**k You to the AAA publishers are getting here.

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#5

Still, you can’t deny that a successful marketing campaign would add significantly to the sales rate, hence more funding for future content, hence more gameplay.

#6

The good thing is the large number of backers. Close to 50k at this point. If that many people are willing to shill large amounts of money just for the game to be MADE, then spreading the word wouldn’t be such a task. If every backer tells at least 6 of his friends, that’s a potential 300k buyers just from reccomendations…

#7

Not every backer paid enough to get access to the Alpha. I don’t know the exact numbers either but Kickstarter has a minimum donation usually around 5 dollars, so not everyone who donated money paid for a baron tier.

This is Happening, I have had 3 friends get baron pledge once recommended and myself and a few other backers bought extra copies to giveaway to help generate more hype.

Don’t forget this has already become as big as it it because of word of mouth advertising.

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#8

Aye, but it could become an extremely big thing if some minimal funding went into marketing and advertising the game pre-release. No doubt mouth-to-mouth advertising helps, but if Warhorse want to reach various potential markets, a clever marketing strategy is needed. If they rely solely on PR and mouth-advertising, the game could sell a few hundred thousand copies in the first week and reach the million mark in a relatively short time. Typically only triple-A titles published by big-name wealthy publishers get the extreme sales such as Skyrim. The backers will definitely generate a lot of hype, as will the idea of the game once most gamers have heard of it, but a large number won’t hear about it because the game isn’t presented in their market. That’s why marketing is important. I’m not suggesting Warhorse delve into some gigantic marketing scheme or anything, but some minor advertising through media. Maybe give some free copies to reviewers, ask them to review the game, make a few trailers, maintain a good PR. This is generally a cheap way of doing it and pretty effective. Maybe even place some ads here and there. Definitely discuss the game with as many journalists as possible. Gaming journalism is the key to success nowadays.

#9

I’ve shown the game to several people (4-5) who I thought would be into it, and they were all turned away over the lack of third person. Options are important. It appeases everyone and doesn’t ruin individual’s specific preferences.What a concept…

#10

Optional 3rd person would be good, yeah.

1 Like
#11

Took me awhile to find it but this has been discussed before by the dev team.

#12

I’m not referring to alpha testers…I’m referring to reviewers…Reviewers of the game once it’s launched. People with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, people from gaming journals etc.
(Angry Joe would be an excellent acquisition)

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#13

Yes and that is the exact context it was a response too.

People for along time have been asking for specific reviewers to be given a copy of the game (that includes angry joe).

If you click the arrow (facing right) on the quote it will take you to the original thread it was posted to.

#14

The original thread refers to a giveaway, not to reviewer-codes post-release. All games send review codes to professional reviewers because they’re professional. It’s their JOB, they review games and tell the consumer whether it’s good or not good. If we forced reviewers to buy the games they review, nobody would be a reviewer (because revenue would be precisely 0).

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#15

Yes, the thread refers to a giveaway, but not the answer on the question. I wanted to see a game review from Skallagrim, a guy who refers to sword combat and sword combat in games and movies.
I voted for him to get this giveaway, but I wanted to know, if warhorse can spend him one version if the threadstarter don´t give him the copy. Because it would be a nice advertising to the game. And this was the answer.
(Now I know Skallagrim know about this game, and he will make a review when it is finished). But this is not a question of Skallagrim, its a question of PR.
I am with you, I think it would be a good idea to give away some free alpha codes to big youtubers, maybe even without any kind of condition. If they want to play this on they private sunday, they could…

…but Warhorse seems to think different about this matter. As you I don´t share their opinion here, but its their game. They are not stupid. Maybe they want to it at a later date, more near to the final release… who knows?

#16

That’s what I’m saying. When the game is released give reviewers access codes so they can review it and people buy it.

Although…I know for a fact Angry Joe already backed it on kickstarter, most likely as baron, so he’s going to have a copy anyway.

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#17

They get thousend of different codes daily. If they really want to play it… they will! :slight_smile:

#18

It’s not about playing. It’s about reviewing. If they don’t get codes, they won’t review it.
’‘we have not received code, my understanding is nobody has, launch day at a minimum for that’’
-Totalbiscuit
If the devs don’t send review codes to interested reviewers, the game gets minimal attention.

#19

Mindset here IMO is that if reviewer is interested he will buy the game, if he does not buy the game and waits for free code, he is not interested.
Therefore Warhorse is probably not interested in being reviewed by uninterested reviewer?

Now I will throw in more words: interesting and review
Interested reviewer reviewed review of intresting review interestingly reviewed by reviewer of interesting view.

4 Likes
#20

Reviewers are not tycoons, they don’t have enough money to buy EVERY single game they’re interested in. That’s why review codes exist.

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