Beyond Ads and Influencers: Why PR Remains Essential for Game Marketing

The last decade of games media has mirrored the industry it covers; massive growth followed by sudden contraction. Mergers, acquisitions, and layoffs have shuttered major gaming outlets, sent veteran journalists packing, and left once-thriving editorial teams a fraction of their former size.

At the same time, the challenges facing developers have only multiplied. Market saturation is at an all-time high, and discoverability consistently ranks as the number one obstacle between great games and the audiences that would love them.

So, is PR still relevant in today’s gaming landscape? Absolutely. In fact, it’s more essential than ever. While social media, influencer partnerships, and performance marketing play critical roles, PR ties them together, adding credibility, momentum, and long-term value that no single channel can replicate.

In this article, we’ll unpack why PR continues to matter, what it looks like in practice, and how it multiplies the impact of every other marketing effort in your arsenal.

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What Modern Games PR Is (and Isn’t)

Modern PR is not just “sending out press releases.” It’s also not a one-stop shop for everything marketing—social, community, influencer, and advertising all require their own expertise.

Instead, PR is a strategic discipline focused on earned media, relationship management, and storytelling. Done right, it helps studios:

• Define and share a compelling narrative
  
• Build trust through consistent editorial validation
  
• Coordinate timing across launches, reveals, and showcases
  
• Amplify the impact of influencer, social, and paid campaigns

When PR is brought into planning early—not after all the decisions are made—it shapes how your studio is seen and ensures every beat contributes to long-term momentum.

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PR and Influencers: A False Choice

Some developers argue that PR has been replaced by influencers. But the truth is more nuanced: it’s not PR versus influencers, it’s PR and influencers.

Influencers face an overwhelming flood of pitches daily. Standing out isn’t just about paying for coverage; it’s about building recognition and context so your outreach doesn’t come from nowhere.

That’s where PR comes in. When an influencer sees your game in gaming press before you contact them, your pitch feels more like a warm follow-up than cold outreach. This recognition can significantly increase your odds of being covered.

Wanderbot chatted with Push to Talk in July 2025, and he shared that in the 11 years he’s been running his channel, it’s never been harder to keep up with games.

“My pitches per day have gone up massively since about 2019 or so,” he said in an email exchange. “Pre-2020, I felt great if I could find 1-2 new games per week that fit my interests/niche/bare minimum requirements for quality, which worked fine when I was still doing Let's Plays. Post-2020, the sheer quantity of new releases is so high that I can only cover roughly 10-25% of games that fit those same criteria, and only as a one-off impressions video rather than a full playthrough.

I get a minimum of ~30 emails per day from unique developers who are either asking for coverage or just trying to catch my interest,” he says.

With consumers needing 7+ exposures before acting (10–15+ for short-form content), PR-driven editorial coverage helps build those crucial touchpoints before an influencer ever clicks “record.”

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Showcases Aren’t All Pay-to-Play

Another misconception? That showcases are only pay-to-play. While many events charge participation fees, most reserve limited editorial spots for games that genuinely excite their teams. Those coveted editorial slots go to games with compelling stories and established media relationships, not just the highest bidders.

PR professionals provide three key advantages here:

• Identifying the right showcases for your genre and audience
  
• Prioritizing editorial opportunities while negotiating paid options if needed
  
• Managing complex coordination across months of back-and-forth with event organizers

Most importantly, PR ensures that every showcase appearance, paid or earned, lands with maximum impact. It’s not just about being on stage; it’s about being remembered.

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Strategic Exclusives That Move the Needle

Exclusives are another tool PR wields effectively. Whether a game reveal in a mainstream outlet or a publisher announcement in a niche vertical, exclusives create focused attention that generic announcements can’t match.

We recently supported two reveals: one in a mainstream gaming publication, Game Informer, for a previously virtually unknown studio and game—Chains of Lukymore—generating 50,000 wishlists in under 30 days. The Game Informer exclusive helped drive the syndication of the reveal across the industry.

The second was for Black Lantern Collective, a new indie horror publisher. To announce both the brand and its lineup, we secured coverage in FANGORIA, a premier horror entertainment outlet. This placement cut through the noise, reached their exact target audience of horror gamers, and laid the foundation for future title announcements—while also strengthening our relationship with FANGORIA’s editorial team.

Exclusives aren’t just about headlines. They establish credibility, shape narratives, and give your game or brand a spotlight moment that advertising alone can’t buy.

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Messaging, Relationships, and the Human Side of PR

At its core, effective PR comes down to three pillars:

• Messaging: Crafting a clear, compelling narrative that explains why your game matters.
  
• Relationships: Building genuine, long-term connections with media contacts.
  
• Conscientiousness: Approaching every interaction with accuracy, respect, and reliability.

While tools like CRM systems help track outreach, personal connections can’t be automated. Great PR professionals know their contacts not just by title but by preference, personality, and passion. They understand who covers what, how they like to be pitched, and when they’re most receptive.

At UberStrategist, we call trusted, communicative journalists and editors “friendlies.” Friendlies aren’t just names on a list; they’re relationships built on consistency and trust. Just like with personal friendships, PR professionals know their contacts’ likes, dislikes, and values. This insider knowledge enables us to match the right story with the right person, increasing the odds of coverage and ensuring pitches feel relevant, not random.

This human element of PR is the true “secret sauce.” It’s what makes outreach resonate, turns coverage into credibility, and ensures your story rises above the noise in an overcrowded market.

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The PR Long Game (Play It, or Lose by Default)

PR isn’t a wishlist vending machine—it’s a long-term investment that compounds over time. When done consistently, it creates the credibility and momentum that short-term tactics like performance marketing alone can’t deliver.

Here’s why the long game matters:

• Earned coverage amplifies paid campaigns. If players Google a game after seeing an ad, editorial coverage ensures they find trusted validation, not just more promotional noise. This builds trust and validation around the game.
  
• Embargo coordination drives launch momentum. Those clusters of Metacritic reviews and previews on release day are PR in action, building visibility when it matters most.
  
• Ongoing storytelling extends a game’s life. Updates, dev features, and community milestones keep your title relevant beyond launch.
  
• Relationships compound. Consistency and professionalism earn lasting goodwill with journalists and influencers, giving your pitches more weight over time.

Those Metacritic reviews that all land on your launch day? That's the work of dedicated PR professionals managing embargo timing and coordinating with dozens of outlets. For example, we recently helped solo developer Bigosaur achieve his best launch ever by focusing on sustained PR coverage that extended well beyond the initial release window, proving that strategic media relationships compound over time.

PR doesn’t deliver in one-off bursts. It pays dividends when you commit to it. Play the long game, or risk being outpaced by those who do.

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PR in the Age of AI Search

The rise of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) has sparked intense debate in the games industry, and for good reason. Most developers and publishers remain cautious, or outright opposed, to using AI-generated content in their workflows, particularly for marketing and communications. We agree: authentic, human-driven PR cannot be replicated by an algorithm.

But while AI shouldn’t create your PR, it does influence how audiences discover games. Understanding how these systems surface information is critical for making sure your studio or title shows up in the right places.

A recent Muckrack study (July 2025) revealed telling insights:

96% of links cited by AI systems fall within communications and corporate affairs domains.

• 37% of queries cite external blogs or non-company-owned content.
• 27% reference articles from established journalistic outlets.

As Matt Dzugan, senior director of data, told Axios:

"Based on the data, we can see that the models are pretty clearly avoiding marketing materials. Essentially, the models are trying to earn the trust of [their] audience and don't want to regurgitate salesy materials."

The lesson is clear: AI-powered discovery favors authentic editorial validation, not promotional messaging. For studios, that means professional PR rooted in storytelling, relationships, and earned media isn’t just relevant but essential to ensure your games are discoverable in an AI-driven landscape.

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PR: The Multiplier That Sets Successful Game Marketing Campaigns Apart

PR isn’t dead. It’s the multiplier that makes every other marketing channel work harder. In a landscape where discoverability is brutal and showcases are crowded, PR gives your game the three essentials for success: credibility, trust, and story.

Studios that embrace PR as a strategic discipline, not just a press release factory, set themselves up not only for stronger launches but for sustained success.

If you’re building a launch plan, bring PR to the table early. Done right, it won’t just help your next game; it will help every game that follows.

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