by Game Marketing Genie, on 01-Nov-2022 09:00:00
Virtual reality products and services are already selling like hotcakes. From VR tech to virtual worlds and chatrooms, the industry is still in its early stages and is waiting for a team to revolutionize it. Could it be you?
In 2020, the global VR gaming market size was USD 6.26 million. Fortune Business Insights study findings predict that the market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 31.4% between 2021 and 2028, from USD 7.92 billion in 2021 to USD 53.44 billion in 2028.
This surge in VR growth is good news for game marketers. That is why, now more than ever, VR studios must grasp how to promote their games. Only creating a high-quality, "must-have" title isn't enough.
Early in the process, studios should have a PR and marketing strategy, define their product's audience, formulate their tone of voice, and choose promotional techniques.
Still trying to figure out where to begin? Here are five strategies for VR gaming studios!
1. Build that community!
You probably don't believe it, but VR is still in its infancy. Developers, publishers, agencies, and influencers are in the early phases of attempting to master communicating the possibilities of VR to early adopters and the general consumer base.
That means taking a break from aggressively marketing your games. It may seem contradictory, but creating a community and educating people about what you can offer will benefit you when your game is ready. Everyone is familiar with console video games and how they work. However, the same cannot be said for VR. Unless they're already avid VR fans, your potential players may need help grasping the possibilities of your game. You need to educate them on much more than just how to play.
You could persuade consumers to buy VR hardware alongside your game. But that's a tall order when this hardware costs hundreds or even thousands.
If you can't communicate the experience directly, you must share the experiences people will have after playing the VR game. The problem is akin to selling someone a trip to an exotic destination they've never been to before. People must go on a mental journey to understand what makes the experience unique. Make videos of people playing the VR game while showing the joy they experience.
Additionally, include player interviews and testimonials. Remember, people are not only interested in the game but also in how you made it.
A good example
When Pokémon Go was released to the mobile gaming market in 2016, it took over the world. It even outperformed even the top social media apps at the time. Sure, it's not a VR game (it's AR), but it got people talking and excited to try it out. Maybe your game is the one that'll open new audiences to VR experiences!
Figure 2: Pokemon Go outperformed even top mobile apps when it was launched. Source: 42Works
2. Create a press kit and get it out there
Many developers employ pre-launch announcements to generate interest in their games before release and do this by engaging VR influencers, gaming journalists, or media houses. A press release can get the word out while helping you start an early interest list, and it is worth including in a media kit you'll send to your influencer.
An early interest list has lots of advantages:
- Creates anticipation for your VR game by doing early marketing
- Determines how many people may be interested in your concept (are people willing to pay for it?)
- Generates a consumer base. When you publish your VR experience, you should already have a consumer base in place (which is incredibly useful for email marketing)
Here is what your press release should include:
Your trailer
A visual sneak peek into what the game is all about is the best way to get people talking about your game. A trailer can help give an experience better than a written press release alone, so it is best to create a trailer in advance and share it.
If you need inspiration on creating a game trailer, check out 5 Video Game Trailers That Did It Right.
Gameplay examples or early access demos
Traditional video is still helpful for VR but will not accurately represent your game. To offer consumers a clearer picture of what they will see in a VR game, you could provide a 360-degree video of your gameplay.
Screenshots
Attach screenshots for your PR partners to include in their promotional materials.
Release date
Have you set a tentative release date? Add that in the press kit too. If you plan to give early bird discounts, now is the time to promote them.
Price
Are you offering any subscription offers to your players? Any special discounts for early interest listers can be a great promotional tactic.
Platform it's still available on
What VR platform can players access your game on? HTC Vive, Meta Quest, and PlayStation VR are some of the top-performing platforms for VR games.
Ratings and reviews
This is optional, but if you've had people test out your game and give reviews, you could share these in your press release.
Who your company is and what you do
Remember to introduce the brand behind the product. Also, discuss any games you made in the past and share your vision about the new tech.
An elevator pitch
If you're looking for publishers or investors, include a pitch that outlines the story, characters, gameplay elements, hardware requirements, the market the game is for, and other information. But keep it short and compelling to keep their interest.
3. Influencer marketing
Meeting influencers who share your passion for virtual reality environments is one way to truly share the experience of your VR game. In addition to niche VR gaming influencers, you can collaborate with podcasters, bloggers, and game reviewers. Influencers embrace this new form of communication with open arms, diving deeply into the realm's limitless possibilities.
The use of social media — specifically streamers, YouTubers, and video makers — is a common marketing approach in the gaming industry. So you need to take it to the next level. Finding independent voices to talk about the VR game and show them having fun with it will aid your marketing efforts. However, finding influencers to get your game the exposure it needs can be daunting for busy game developers and studios. Ideally, you want someone interested in VR games who can creatively engage and lead potential players to try out your game.
Influencer marketing platforms like AtisfyReach cut down significant time and resources for brands looking to scale their influencer marketing initiatives. From influencer discovery to access to real-time data and campaign management tools, a platform can be the outsourcing partner you need. Try out a free demo.
4. Get visual
As you know, virtual reality content presents a unique set of challenges. Players can't glance at screenshots and trailers like for console or PC games. VR game marketing must give the viewer a sense of what wearing the headset and being in the world is like.
GIFs are a holy grail for visually appealing social media content. They are easy to create and way more scroll-stopping than static images. Similarly, short videos and Reels can work wonderfully with your content marketing strategies.
Cinematic game trailers are also well-loved by the gaming community. If creating cinematic trailers is too much for you, you can always make a great gameplay trailer (or get our team to help make it for you).
Here are some ways you can use visual media:
- Email: When done right, emails are a fantastic tool for marketing your VR experience. Most of the time, it is the highest-converting channel in terms of sales. That is why you must build an email list. The secret to effective email marketing is to offer special deals for your email subscribers and a deadline by which they must redeem them. Finally, link your VR experience page to your email signature.
- Website: Optimize your website or blog to attract new email subscribers and include a button. Create a blog post to announce the launch of your VR experience and share it on social media.
- Social media: Social media channels, particularly for virtual reality, can be highly valuable in your marketing approach. Share trailers, GIFs, and other video content. This will also help you build a community, as we recommended before.
- Online communities: There are already several popular VR communities like the Oculus and the Virtual Reality subreddits, so why not make one of your own? Share screenshots, videos, or even a text post outlining what you're working on, and ask for comments. You can create a community on many platforms, but one we recommend is Discord.
- Events: Presenting at gaming events is a terrific approach to meeting potential users and the press! We recommend you go to meetups, VR events, or even virtual events where you can demo your game.
5. Demos are key
How do you encourage people to engage with VR? Well, for one, you need to show how amazing it feels to be in this virtual world. No matter how many screenshots or trailers you share, if your gamers aren't able to experience your game, they won't "know" for themselves.
That's where demos come in! These are popular nowadays and essential to enter your game into a festival in stores like Steam.
Even if you initially create a demo that doesn't require a VR headset, you can still increase the number of people who sign up.
VR gaming is here and now!
VR gaming is getting bigger daily, and its marketing differs significantly from games for other platforms. The starting gun has been fired, and we're off to the races with VR hardware now available for pretty much all gaming platforms. But there's no hard and fast manual for marketing a VR game. Experiment and push yourself. Failing is part of the learning process and will only strengthen you in the future. Feel free to experiment with novel marketing concepts or asset types.
You can access a full-scale VR game package with Game Marketing Genie. We offer graphic design, content creation, and marketing strategies for games of every size, and have experience in the VR game marketing industry.
