Anita Wong, Head of PR at Indigo Pearl, is here to tell you all about ‘shadow drops’, and the best way to make use of them for your upcoming video games
“What’s the best way to announce a game?” I get this question a lot from curious developers. While the answer depends on a variety of factors (most importantly, the game itself), now and then, a particularly exciting option pops up: the shadow drop. Shadow dropping — or the surprise announcement — is the rogue option in the playbook. Instead of the traditional PR campaign of teaser trailers, dev diaries, slow social reveals, and multiple press releases stretched over several months, the shadow drop skips all that. It’s a tactic that cuts through the chatter by cutting everything else. No teaser, no months of hype, no countdown. Just: “Hey, it’s out now.” It’s by no means a new strategy, but it can be risky — and when done right, it can pay off incredibly well. Just look at Apex Legends — still one of the best (and most
28 | MCV/DEVELOP April/May 2025
famous) examples of a shadow drop done right. Respawn launched it in 2019 with zero announcements, previews, or press releases. Behind the scenes, though, they brought in 100 creators to see the game before launch and had them tease the reveal on their socials, which had been embargoed for the Super Bowl halftime show (iconic). Bold timing, and even bolder messaging, with the tweets promising “something that will change the industry.” There was no trailer, and no context to back those tweets up — just well-placed hype from voices their audiences trusted. Then came the stream. Respawn went live the next day to announce Apex Legends and immediately launched the game. Within 72 hours, 10 million players had downloaded it … and no one had to sit through a four-month drip-feed of weapon reveals. Since then, there’ve been several games that have successfully harnessed the shadow drop: the much-beloved Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks and Bethesda was unveiled and released on the same day during an Xbox Developer Direct. Similarly, Atlus dropped Persona 4 Golden onto Steam as a surprise, delighting fans who’d been waiting for the game to be available beyond the PS Vita. The most recent and impressive example would be The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
“Shadow dropping — or the surprise announcement — is the rogue option in the playbook.”
Remaster, which landed with a wave of well- earned hype.
SO WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A SHADOW DROP WORK — AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW DO YOU PULL ONE OFF YOURSELF? Firstly, you get your house in order. A shadow drop isn’t an excuse to skip the campaign — it just shifts all the planning behind the curtain and means all your planning should be tighter. Everything should be ready to go — the game needs to be polished, the assets should be finalised, and your creators, press and partners need to be fully briefed (under embargo, of course).
Next, choose the right timing. The best shadow drops hit when your audience is already watching — whether setting your game live immediately after your reveal in a showcase, your own livestream, or a cultural moment you can jump upon.
Ask yourself if you have the right channels locked in. Shadow drops rely heavily on immediate impact: creators going live, press coverage arriving upon embargo lift, and social posts kicking in the exact moment the game becomes available. Create that sense of now which drives a sense of urgency — if someone sees the trailer or reads that article, they can then go download the game immediately. Finally, the product has to speak for itself.
With no slow burn or multi-beat campaign to build up the excitement, the game becomes the story. Whether it’s a genre twist, a surprise IP, or just highly polished gameplay, do make sure what you’re dropping is worth the surprise.
The best shadow drops shouldn’t just land — they should steal the spotlight.
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