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How to market and promote VR game in a competitive market

touko 24, 2018

Title Image: How do you market VR games?

VR GAMES, A NEW BONFIRE LIT

 

Before knowing how VR game marketing works, it’s important to know some background of VR games. Since Nintendo Virtual Boy, we have made an incredible progress towards HTC vive, Oculus Rift and Playstation VR, and the number of VR games published every day is steadily increasing. There are many types of VR games that have come out, and will come out in the future. The VR game market scene is more lively than ever. It’s shown that by 2020 the VR and AR market’s economic impact will be around $29.5 billion, and around 82 million VR headsets sold. It’s predicted that the combined software & hardware from Sony, Oculus, HTC, and others will reach around 5.1 million units in 2018. It’s incredible how fast the VR market is growing. From games that spun out from popular TV shows like Rick n Morty:Virtual Rick-ality, to fun and intriguing casual games like Cave digger, made by VRKiwi, and simulation games such as EuroTruck simulator.

cave digger image steam how to market in VR logo
VR games stimulate more senses than normal PC or console games. Such as sense and perception, which makes VR games immersive. You feel  the game, and it feels as if you are inside the game itself, no matter how realistic it may look like. This is due to the depth that you feel. In a 2D screen, you don’t feel the same depth as you feel in VR. As for the sense, by moving your head around, and moving your hand it feels like you are moving, synchronising the the character you are playing with, immersing yourself of the actions you do bodily.

So how do I market my VR game?

 

VR game market scene is lively, but it also means it’s competitive, and it’s hard to shine. When it comes to indie game development, one thing a lot of developers tend to brush off is marketing efforts. Without marketing, new games are most likely to be clouded by tens of other indie games in the market that’s going to launch soon, or was launched at the same time. Marketing makes games known to the public. It’s like a good soil for a plant. Without good soil, the plant will dry up without nutrients and fall sick. But if the soil is good, the plant will prosper and bear multiple fruits. In this section, we will tell you how to market VR games.

Or if you want some professional help, contact us in our website! Kuvion is a digital marketing agency specialising in game marketing.

SPECIFY YOUR AUDIENCE

First and foremost, you need to know your audience.
In all marketing, knowing your product and people who will buy them are important. A simple “people with VR headsets” aren’t going to be enough. You need to specify which genre your product is (be casual, horror, strategy, shooting), and if it will appeal to the players in that group. Ask yourself, why would people pick this game up and play it? Why would they be intrigued by it? Will they be intrigued by the description and logo?
Groups of people wearing VR, marketing VR games

MAKE A COMMUNITY

two guys in VR glass - how to market in VR, making community
After you have specified your audience, it’s time to make a community. Make official accounts on social media, in platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, instagram, Reddit and in the community groups that your targeted audience use & visit the most. Set the accounts up and start posting your progress in them, no matter how small or little progress it is. Concept art, team pictures, or banner is enough to intrigue people. The faster the merrier. If you communicate with the people whom are interested in your game, they will start loving it more, and support your activities further.
If there are some gaming events nearby or even- internationally, you should definitely attend there as a guest or participator, providing example of your game, in order to enlarge your community, network and connection. Always have some sort of visual content or business card that’s readily to show. Even some pictures in your phone would be good! Expand and explain your vision of your game to the people around you, and make them recognise it.

MAKE A WEBSITE

Creating an official website can be an intimidating idea. It can be often tedious and time consuming. A good website, even more. However the potential of having the official website is almost immeasurable. Making a website is vital. Imagine a hub in a game, where you come time to time to upgrade your character. Same as in game hub, your website will be your online hub that you will be able to be in control 100% of the time. All the news, blogs, and update patch notes or upcoming events can be posted there, and people will fluctuate from various online communities.  

There are various methods of making a website. Currently, Kuvion uses WordPress and various other plugins to make our website and our customer’s website better and chic. WordPress is one of the most flexible website making tools, meaning it’s easy to learn, but complex enough to make appropriate customisations. 

Always link your social media accounts to your website. Never underestimate linking between your pages and social media accounts. Not only do the people who visit your website can explore more around different source of informations, they can also follow and share your posts which will enlarge your online presence.

GIVE OUT LAUNCH KEYS


“Why give out free keys to people when they can just buy it from us?”


It’s a valid question, but not a valid mindset as a marketer and an investor.

Sending out free keys to influencers in YouTube or Twitch to play your game is essential. People won’t know much about your game if you don’t show it. How much new indie games have you learned by watching YouTube videos and Twitch streamers?

By letting multiple content creators play your game it will make the title gain traction, and at one point of the time, the traction will be so considerable you won’t need to give any more keys, since they will be playing it themselves.

Leveling up your reach with Kuvion.

 

Advertising is hard even when you know how to do it. It’s truly easier said than done. Many VR game developers experience same problem over and over again even if they know how to do it. Often times, it’s due to time and energy. If there isn’t a dedicated marketing team, there isn’t simply enough time to focus on marketing.

That’s why we, at Kuvion are dedicated to helping indie developers market their games and expose it to the public. We welcome developers who wants help marketing and exposing of their games. We know what exactly to do when it comes to marketing games and making it known. We are easy going, professional, able marketing & website developing team from the coolest part of North, Finland.

There are no games that are successful without marketing.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed the post, have a good one!

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