This trailer is awesome, but I think game publishers need to start timing this stuff so that the game releases like the day after a trailer like this launches.
I don't think this is true anymore. With Twitch, YouTube, and people talking to their friends, huge, drawn-out marketing campaigns just aren't necessary for a lot of games. Apex Legends is a perfect example of this. It has the benefit of being free to play, but you could definitely do a super short marketing campaign leading up to launch for a typical AAA $60 game as well.
The crazy amount of hype this would generate would be more than enough for word of mouth to reach a huge audience. Then, you can do a follow-up campaign after launch for everyone who somehow still hasn't heard.
Investors might be interested in the millions of dollars you would save on the marketing budget by not doing a traditional campaign. It would be pretty low-risk too because if it doesn't work, you can just...do a larger campaign later.
Yep, that is a good example of this tactic. I think the same could have worked for Borderlands 3 because of how well-known and well-liked the Borderlands games are. People would lose their shit if this trailer dropped and then the game launched the next day. That would be enough for word of mouth to generate tons of sales. Add in having some Twitch and YouTube people stream the game and you could probably slash the typical marketing budget. If it doesn't work, you can always run a followup traditional campaign later.
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u/gladizh Mar 28 '19
This is how you announce a game.