The video game market is blowing up, and in the US alone, there are now over 220 million gamers spanning all demographics!

Tapping into this market is a fantastic channel for added revenue, but video game Marketing is as competitive as the games themselves.

You need to find the best channels to connect with targeted gamers if you want to see results. In addition to in-game ads, you can also use top-tier Gaming influencers and in-game viral marketing tactics to expand your reach.

And gaming communities outside of the game itself provide an opportunity to connect with hundreds of thousands of targeted buyers on dedicated gaming-content platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Discord. 

As you can see, video game marketing is a challenging space to navigate across numerous channels and platforms.

And that is precisely why we have created this detailed guide on video game marketing and the best ways to connect with gamers in 2023!

Plus, we also have three real-world success stories in video game marketing for you to learn from.

Ready to learn how to expand your user base and multiply sales for video game marketing?

Let’s go!

Quick Overview of the Video Game Market

The video game market has drastically evolved. The video games market is estimated to be worth more than $320 billion by 2026. And remember, video games started pretty basic. 

All types of video game market segments have increased in revenue between 2020 and 2022. Integrated video gaming and advertising alone, increased from over $196 billion in revenue in 2020 to over $235 billion in 2022.

After Covid-19, the video game market saw a boost and consumer spending on video games increased by 13.3% in 2020.

Considering how many gamers exist in the US alone, these figures are less shocking. 75% of all US households have at least one gamer! And by 2023, there are estimated to be over 3 billion gamers worldwide.

But who are these gamers?

The typical gamer is a male around 35 years old. However, there are many women in the gaming market, with 45%. 

Most gamers are located in China, followed by the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Germany. If you’re considering how to tailor your video game marketing strategy, the most prominent target audiences are in these locations!

Source: Ask GameDev

3 Success Stories of Video Game Marketing from the Past

1.Mario Kart 8

Mario is one of the most iconic gaming characters. It’s fitting to put Mario Kart 8 on this list. In 2014, Nintendo, the developers of Super Mario Bros, created a year-long marketing campaign to boost awareness and sales.

Before Mario Kart 8, the Wii U Console by Nintendo was bringing in much less than expected. Nintendo needed a revenue increase to secure a future for its brand, and they focused this on Mario Kart 8’s release.

The Solution

Nintendo used three pillars for its year-long video game marketing campaign – social media, PR, and media buying. This brand used targeted ads spread across every channel to engage its audience.

Nintendo used TV ads, posted teaser screenshots on social media, and offered exclusive web-based discounts. They did some experiential marketing and hosted branded NASCAR trackside appearances of Mario and Luigi, his brother. 

The Result

Mario Kart 8 launched in May 2014. By the end of June over two million copies were sold. Adding these profits to the Wii U’s revenue, overall sales increased by 666% after releasing MarioKart 8. 

2.Louis Vuitton and League Of Legends

Being a world-famous designer brand, one wouldn’t expect Louis Vuitton to be in the gaming scene. But the Italian brand knows potential when they see it and partnered up with Riot Games’ creation – League of Legends, to break into a new market. 

The Solution

Louis Vuitton and League of Legends are extremely popular in their respective niche markets, so teaming up helped them both!

League of Legends’ 5-woman band, True Damage, became the focal point of this collaboration.

Nicolas Ghesquière, an artistic director at Louis Vuitton, designed two of the singers’ outfits. Players can buy these outfits as special skins for their virtual characters. 

Now, there’s a tonne of in-game character accessories, and collectibles players can buy from the LV x LoL collab. Louis Vuitton saw a booming market of gamers willing to invest in digital in-game items and created a sense of exclusivity to fuel desire. 

The Result

Within an hour of launching the LV x LoL collection, products in the European market nearly sold out. Some buyers in the US reported canceled orders because of overselling. Yes, that’s how in-demand this collection was. The cheapest item in this sale was $170, and the most expensive one (a leather jacket) was around $5600. 

3.Sega and Nintendo

Here’s a success story about two games that used video game marketing to amplify profits. Nintendo’s secret to success was creating its poster child, Mario. Mario became a beloved gaming character because it offered more interactivity than other games at the time.

Back then, typical games had players pass through levels and earn rewards in a limited playing area. Think Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. 

But what made Super Marios Bros unique is how interactive and lovable the lead character was. Sega couldn’t compete with Nintendo because it didn’t have a branded “Mario” character.

The developers and creatives behind Sega were desperate to find a solution to put the brand back in the competition.

The Solution

Finding a way to best Nintendo, Sega created Sonic The Hedgehog. This signature blue hedgehog became the face of Sega and put it up against Nintendo.

Sega used classic and relevant ads with social figures like Michael Jackson to engage targeted buyers. They also used the slogan, “Sega does what Nintendon’t”, giving confidence to the brand!

The Result

Because Sega leveraged competitor analysis, it became one of Nintendo’s strongest competitors. Sonic The Hedgehog is one of Sega’s most profitable franchises.

The franchise (not only the character) generated over $7 billion in lifetime revenue for video game marketing. Since its release, over 1.14 billion copies have been sold. 

In 2022 compared to three other video games, Sonic The Hedgehog sold the most copies, worth $4.9 million. The second-highest video game (Yakuza) racked up slightly over half of Sonic’s earnings.

However, Sonic The Hedgehog is not the top gaming character rated by sales. Nintendo’s Mario remains #1 with over $507 million earned from the character alone, with Sonic at $150 million. While Mario is number #2, Sonic is in third place, behind Pikachu. 

4.Adidas and G2 Esports

Louis Vuitton isn’t the only clothing brand that wants a cut in video game marketing. Adidas does video game marketing campaigns too!

There isn’t one specific challenge that motivated Adidas to use video game marketing. This brand simply understood where its target audience was spending time in a new marketing environment. 

The Solution

After one month of working with G2 Esports, Adidas launched the first phase of its video game marketing campaign. This sports brand targeted gaming streamers to promote their latest kicks, the ZX 2K Boosts.

Adidas and G2 Esports found the five best influencers and sent each a pair of new sneakers. Using freebies was a fantastic way to secure valuable influencers organically and make your way into a new market. 

This collab also hosted a competition for gaming influencers. Streamers had to play Fortnite with a special controller while using their feet. Adidas ensured they understood the market and built authority in the quickest way possible. 

The Result

All Adidas mentions about this partnership is that it “had a great reach and engagement“. The brand also solidified a year-long deal with G2 afterward. Adidas became G2’s apparel provider, which gives us a good indication we’ll see much more from these two. 

5.FIFA Soccer 13

FIFA is a globally popular video game for avid soccer fans. Electronic Arts (EA) launched this game in 1993. Since then, FIFA has made global gaming history.

Although there weren’t specific market challenges motivating FIFA Soccer 13’s marketing success, EA wanted to push the game to become more exponential and profitable than it was. 

The Solution

EA went crazy on marketing and used every single strategy they knew would work. This was a highly targeted campaign with ads in front of the right audience, in the right channels at all the right times.

EA used customer-centric billboards in Soccer stadiums around the UK, TV commercials, and a Twitter campaign featuring Soccer legends like Lionel Messi. 

The Result

Credited to high-level video game marketing and an already credible and loved product, EA achieved insane results.

When the game launched in September 2012, it sold over 4 million copies within the first five days. By May 2013, a total of 14.5 million units had been sold.

This milestone made FIFA Soccer 13 one of the best-selling video games of all time!

5 Easy Ways to Reach Gamers in 2023

You can find gaming audiences on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, and through gaming influencers and in-game marketing features. These are details on the best five ways to reach gamers:

1.Twitch Marketing

Twitch has a streaming platform, Twitch TV. Twitch TV is a popular hub for gamers worldwide. When gamers on Twitch have built up an impressive following and user base, they can apply to become a partner of Twitch. Partners get a small cut of Twitch’s advertising revenue based on each gamers subscriber count and video views. 

Because of how well-tailored Twitch is for professional gamers and influences, these pros attract hundreds of thousands of gamers (targeted buyers) to the platform. 

There are two ways you can reach massive audiences of gamers for your brand:

1. Buy advertising space. Brands pay Twitch gaming influencers commission for placing brand ads at specific points in their videos. Because of Twitch’s partner program, both you and your influencer will earn profit. 
2. Influencer Sponsorships. Businesses create a sponsorship partner program between Twitch influencers and their brands for more exposure and traction. 

The biggest downfall of using Twitch gamers to promote your video game is the hefty costs. Many brands find creating their own Twitch live streams to reach targeted gamers and build a dedicated community easier and cheaper. 

However, it takes time to  build a dedicated community and you must know the best practices for video marketing on Twitch. 

Here are the top tips to create and grow your own Twitch live stream for video game marketing:

• Use top-tier graphics.
• Engage users throughout the stream with conversation, jokes, etc.
• Play/stream games your audience is interested in. 
• Stream consistently and let users know when to expect live streams.
• Optimize your About section with clear, digestible information and keywords relevant to your niche.

The image below is what Twitch live streams look like. Viewers will see a small window of your face within the main screen displaying the game you’re playing. There’s a real-time chat section on the right so you can interact with users while streaming.

2.Gaming Influencers

One of the easiest ways to reach targeted gamers is through popular gaming influencers. At the top of their food chain, these influencers have massive subscriber counts and industry authority. But working with top-tier gaming influencers isn’t cheap, and you must prepare to invest quite a bit for this method.

Some of the top video game influencers include:

1. PewDiePie 
2. Jacksepticeye
3. Ninja
4. VanossGaming
5. Valkyrae

You can find these influencers on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Besides how much it costs to work with gaming influencers, you must have a valuable pitch.

You can’t plan to work with influencers that aren’t relevant to your niche. Your brand and gaming influencers must share the same target audiences.

It’s best to get familiar with a video gaming influencer’s content and audience before contacting them. Doing this shows you’ve made a strategic choice in choosing them and makes you seem more personal. 

These are the best tips for working with gaming influencers to find targeted audiences:

• Choose your influencers carefully.
• Don’t rely on one single influencer.
• Measure and track your campaign consistently.
• Allow influencers creative control.
• Find influencers with unique signature styles and personalities.

3.Discord Marketing

Discord is very much like Twitch for pro gamers. So, in turn, this platform has loads and loads of gamers to engage. Discord marketing works because it revolves around community marketing. Any brand that wants secure customer loyalty and a user base of repeat customers must build, grow and maintain an engaged community.

To reach gamers on Discord and build a presence in this market, create a Discord server. Your server houses all your community activity and brand content. You can create different channels based on what your community needs and what you want to provide.

For example, you can create a “General Chat” channel for communication between gamers and your brand. You can create separate channels for brand announcements, FAQs, and resource guides for playing and purchasing your game. 

Once you’ve started your Discord server, using Discord marketing to reach ideal gamers will be much easier. 

Here’s an example of an active Discord server. Notice the list of server channels on the left.

The top tips for Discord marketing to reach gamers are:

• Create content relevant to your target audience and their trends.
• Host contests and giveaways with clear, easy instructions and valuable rewards.
• Respond to user queries promptly and engage in community conversations.
• Host live events.
• Partner with other communities to expand your reach.
• Use Discord server insights.

Like Twitch, Discord also has a partner program. Established communities with engaged users can apply to join this program. If they make the cut, brands can leverage increased visibility and personalization while earning XP points to improve community features. 

4.YouTube Marketing

YouTube marketing like Twitch and Discord marketing, is another fantastic way to reach communities of dedicated gamers. Because YouTube is all about videos and gaming influencers use videos to share live gameplay, it’s obvious why this platform works.

When YouTube provided YouTube Live, it drove more gaming influencers and audiences to the platform. Around 200 million users watch games on YouTube daily. This figure is double the TV audience of the Super Bowl in 2018. 

There are many ways you can engage gamers through YouTube marketing. These methods are the same as Twitch marketing – buying advertising space from influencers and sponsoring influencers.

You can create your own YouTube channel too. Brands don’t have to use only one of these methods to engage gamers. You can use all of them and set different goals for each approach. 

The top ways to create a thriving YouTube channel for video game marketing are:

• Cross-promote your YouTube channel on other social platforms.
• SEO-optimize your video titles and descriptions.
• Optimize your YouTube About section.
• Create a content posting schedule for consistency and engagement.
• Create video playlists to group video topics.

5.In-Game Viral Marketing Features

What better way to attract targeted gamers than to promote your content in places where gamers are actively gaming? You can do this through in-game viral marketing features like personalized mobile ads and digital billboards.

Let’s have a look at these features for in-game viral marketing in detail:

• Mobile ads. With billions of mobile gamers worldwide, mobile ads are a strategic choice. You can purchase advertising space, so your ads play at specific times in mobile apps. While many users believe these ads are intrusive, you can get your content in front of the right audience. 
• Digital billboards. Many brands have created personalized content for in-game billboards. You can have virtual billboards promoting your brand in virtual cities and locations. For example, FIFA has many in-game virtual banners promoting its sponsors. 

You don’t have to pick one of these in-game marketing features. Brands can leverage multiple at once for maximum traction. Mobile ads are intrusive, but virtual billboards arent because they blend into the game’s environment. So using both will help you engage all kinds of gamers.

Conclusion

Video game marketing is a massive market that’s grown since it’s begun. People from all over the world play video games, especially men and women around 35 years old. China is the top country for the most gamers, with the US closely behind. Japan, South Korea, and Germany are the next countries with the most gaming audiences worldwide.

To reach gamers and increase your reach, brands can use five proven methods. These methods include Twitch marketing. Gaming influencers, Discord marketing, YouTube marketing, and in-game viral marketing features. Each approach boasts impressive results for brands and has dedicated gaming communities you can leverage.

To develop a video game marketing strategy that puts your brand in the limelight and maximizes conversions, use these top video game marketing strategies.

References

Entertainment Software Association: Essential Facts About The Video Game Industry

World Economic Forum: Gaming is Booming and Expected to Keep Growing (chart)

International Trade Administration: Video Games Sector

Sport Hiatus: Video Gaming: Total Players Worldwide Projected to Surpass 3 billion in 2023

Play Today: Gamer Demographics from 2022: No Longer a Men’s Only Club

Exploding Topics: 50+ Amazing Video Game Industry Statistics (2023)

BestMarketingDegrees: 30 of the Most Successful Video Game Marketing Campaigns Ever

Video Game Sales Wiki Fandom: Sonic

MusicMagPie: Who is the Most Popular Video Game Character Based on Sales?

Think with Google: YouTube Marketing Strategies

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