Top 10 Misconceptions About Video Game PR
Public relations might be one of the most misunderstood professions in the interactive entertainment industry. Many publishers do not know they need it, while some think they need it for all the wrong reasons.Others have a PR staff or agency but don't truly understand how the profession works and often mis-step when dealing with their communications staff causing unnecessary work and arguments. Here are my thoughts on the top 10 misconceptions about PR in the video games industry:
(1) We don't have any marketing money so we'll just have to get more PR. There's a reason why a company doesn't give a game a big marketing budget -- it doesn't believe in the product or, for some reason, won't support it. Why should the press devote a lot of space and effort to covering a product that isn't supported by its own maker?
(2) The editors will love this game because they loved Game X. This is a big gamble to take. One of the biggest issues the industry faces today is the abundance of
“me-too” or “copycat” products -- and reviewers have to look at all of them. If you want your game to truly have appeal, make it unique!
(3) That other company got that cover because they paid for it. Covers are not for sale. Yes, many times we see the same big games on magazine covers from some of the bigger publishers but there is a reason for that. The same games that sell well at retail help magazines sell when they are on the cover.
(4) That magazine just doesn’t like our company so it trashed my game. Some editors may have favorite games or really appreciate the work of certain development teams (just like people have favorite filmmakers or musicians), but reviewers have a job to do and, in my almost 10 years in the industry, I have never seen a game reviewed poorly because the critic hated the company it came from. In almost all cases, it was because the game wasn’t any good.
(5) They gave my game a bad score because [any reason other than it was not well-made). It’s just human nature for a team who’s worked on a product for one, two, maybe three years to be sensitive about how their game is received. There are exceptions, I’m sure but, for the most part, a game gets a bad review for one reason only -- because its flaws outweigh its attributes.
(6) This cool tchotchke that we’re handing out will get us good coverage. Sure, everyone loves tchotchkes. But believing that handing an editor a t-shirt or a poster will somehow lead to better coverage isn’t realistic. In fact, many editors have confided in me that they usually just distribute all the free goodies to charity or to kids they know. If you want to make a t-shirt for your game, great! Just don’t expect it to lead to a better review.
(7) This game is actually BETTER than “World Of Warcraft.” Eight million people play “WoW.” It’s a fun, addictive game that has helped bring a great deal of notoriety to the industry. Many developers aspire to making a game that’s just as entertaining. But saying that your game is better than a game that 8 million people across the globe play every day is just asking for you to be compared side by side -- and most games will not come out of that test looking too good.
(8) We need to have a big launch event with celebrities. If you want to celebrate the hard work that went into making a great game, by all means do so. But be realistic. You can have a party and invite Paris Hilton, but it will not make an average game great or change its destiny.
(9) We have a movie tie-in so all the movie press will be interested. At one time this was true. But after a slew of sub-par-to-horrible movie-based games, can you blame them for not being too excited about yours?
(10) The PR team just didn’t try hard enough to get the press to cover it. There are some great, hard-working PR teams throughout this industry. These last few years, their jobs have gotten even harder as the industry has grown and many publishers have tripled their product offerings while the number of game publications has decreased. Publications now have to pick and choose what products to cover which makes it a very competitive landscape. Your product may not make it in all the time, but it is rarely because your PR person didn't try.
Developers, executives, marketing managers, friends … it is easy to fall into the trap of worrying about these 10 misconceptions and forgetting about the basics that your PR person needs to get your game great press coverage.
Talk to your PR people. You are partners in the success of your game, so ask them how you can do your part to help secure more and better coverage. Focus on getting your PR people a never-ending, awe-inspiring, regularly delivered abundance of excellent screen shots … keep them up-to-date on key features … share all those beautiful pieces of concept art … and, most importantly, get solid playable versions of your game in front of the press early and often.
If you truly believe your game deserves a cover, then have an open discussion about the merits of your game, allow your PR person to share their valuable media knowledge with you to give you honest editorial feedback (don’t just hear what you want to hear), and work together as a team. You’ll be surprised how much coverage you’ll get!
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