“Normal” isn’t coming back, so what’s next?

You know the rest of the story. The tour wasn’t just postponed but cancelled. And then, like everyone in spring 2020, we had to do things a little differently. We sent press preview codes—and in some cases, loaner gaming laptops—and invited them to virtual preview events on a Discord server, complete with dev presentations and organized co-op play. It was scrappy and imperfect, but it got the job done and we learned a lot along the way. And while the game itself wasn’t destined to be a best-seller, the way we adapted on the fly remains one of the proudest moments of my career.

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The last few years in the game industry have felt a bit like that moment in the coffee shop, with all of us collectively waiting for this to blow over (remember Survive Till 25?) so we can pick back up where we left off. You know, get back to normal.

At GamesBeat Summit this week what stuck out most to me across the sessions, meetings, and casual chats, was the sense that we’re done waiting for normal to come back. That instead, we’re doing things a little differently. There was a lot of conversation about shadow and boutique publishing, co-development, more holistic approaches to communication and marketing, and new ways to tap into community. It feels like we’ve hit an inflection point, and we’re choosing paths based more on what makes sense for individual games and teams than what our trusty game launch playbook tells us. It’s going to be scrappy and imperfect, but it’s better than stasis, and I think we’ll be proud when we look at back at how we adapted to our new normal.

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FAQ: Does Bastion America support indie developers?

Smaller video game studios face stiff competition for player attention, often against developers and publishers with substantial marketing budgets. Therefore, creating a distinctive campaign that develops a connection with your target audience is especially important.

Bastion helps indie developers by:

• Building your game's marketing strategy
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• Creating your go-to-market campaigns through to launch and beyond

Speak to our team today to understand how we can help deliver success for your next title.