A Cult Classic Video Game Universe

Pistol Shrimp Games’ Free Stars IP — a spin-off of Star Control II — required a introduction. The studio needed to promote a rebranded re-release of the thirty-year-old game Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters and raise awareness for a Kickstarter campaign for the long-awaited sequel Free Stars: Children of Infinity.

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In our four-month campaign, we tackled challenges like legal restrictions, reigniting interest in a 30-year-old game, and boosting brand awareness before the crowdfunding launch.

We crafted messaging positioning Free Stars as a distinct continuation of Star Control II, using industry praise to highlight its legacy. We secured exclusive stories with reporters to explain the IP’s history to new audiences.

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Ahead of the Kickstarter, we launched a review campaign for Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters, creating a sense of “newness” despite its open- source availability. We followed with targeted feature stories to build the brand and promote the Kickstarter.

With the help of this carefully constructed PR campaign, the future of the Free Stars saga was secured! Free Stars: Children of Infinity achieved its Kickstarter goal in just three hours and unlocked thirteen stretch goals.

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Throughout the four-month campaign, we placed exclusive news stories and interviews with GameSpot, Hardcore Gamer, PC Gamer, and Time Extension.

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We also secured news coverage by Bleeding Cool, GamesRadar, IGN, PC Games Hardware, PC GamesN, Rock Paper Shotgun, Sector, VGTimes, and many others.