Q.
It’s not been a great period for the industry, but let’s start on a positive note: what’s been your personal PR highlight of the past 12 months?
2023 wasn’t all bad. There were some ok games.
Chris Glover: There are two for me. These past 12 months have shown how much heart the games industry has. Seeing people reach out, set up support groups, and work together to help one another through tough times has been nothing short of inspirational. In terms of a more traditional PR ‘highlight’, seeing the cultural impact around the reveal of GTA 6 was incredible. It was more than just a game reveal, it was a truly epic global event - and that is gaming at its best.
“These past 12 months have shown how much heart the games industry has. Seeing people help one another through tough times has been nothing short of inspirational”
Chris Glover, 71 Consulting
Samantha Hardesty: 2023 was the year I started in my role as Head of PR at Heaven Media so I guess my biggest personal highlight has to be that! I’ve been extremely fortunate to work on some great projects, from launching Nexon’s KartRider: Drift in the UK to unveiling new peripheral gaming hardware, it was definitely a busy one. Looking outside of my role though, I think the biggest PR highlight I enjoyed in 2023 was the launch of Baldur’s Gate 3. Without being completely biassed over the fact it’s now my favourite game, the hype that was built around the launch was exceptional, particularly the building of a dedicated community throughout early access. I definitely think the community remains so engaged today thanks to Larian’s continuous engagement and strong understanding of its players.
Stefano Petrullo: The whole Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign and execution, developer transparency and communication has been nothing short than glorious. I have always been a strong believer that you have and need to be honest to your audience - be it consumer or media, owning the message is super important in a world made of black and whites.
Danielle Woodyatt: I’d say one of our key highlights of the last 12 months was celebrating
Warframe’s ten-year anniversary, and our 7th (now 8th) year working with Digital Extremes. In January, Warframe was the number one selling game on Steam, which is an incredible achievement for an 11-year old game. We also got to work with our friends at New Star Games games again (double whammy) on their retro inspired racer, New Star GP. 2023 was definitely a good year. The wonderful teams we got to work with made it one of our best yet.
Suzanne Panter: I would have to say that the Dead Island 2 campaign is my highlight. Taking a product that has been in development for a while, that had been completely revamped was a challenge, but one that I relished. Working with a talented team at the studio and at the publisher was so thrilling, and to have a sales success too, there is no better feeling.
Mike Hendrixen: I would say that the launch of EA Sports FC 24 has undoubtedly been the standout highlight. Being intimately involved in the name change from FIFA, after years of establishing it as a household name, was a monumental undertaking. The rebranding injected a renewed sense of energy and excitement into the franchise [and] our agency’s collaboration with EA Sports, football clubs and the Eredivisie in the Benelux region added another layer of significance to the launch.
Alex Verrey: We’ve been fortunate to work on some standout projects this year, both internally and externally. We were proud to be tasked with launching CRKD, a brand new premium hardware brand that’s designed and managed in-house here at Freemode. Launching the Jurassic Park Collection last year was exciting as the franchise is so popular and loved on a global level. We even got to work with Middle Earth enterprises and the Windmill Theatre as they staged a musical
February /March 2024 MCV/DEVELOP | 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
