to be a part of more in-person events, but also that the virtual option is a necessary part of the mix. “That flexible virtual option is crucial and I think that goes for a lot of aspects of life.” “There’s more accessibility with some of these events


than there used to be,” agrees Mullen. “You can open it up to more journalists from different places, on a level playing field, and open some opportunities up for smaller outlets as well.” “Covid definitely gave us a lot of opportunity to


try and test and adopt different ways of doing our jobs,” adds Jones, giving the example of holding press briefings in Discord, “Doing things in different ways that we wouldn’t have dreamed of doing in the past.” The team at Bastion has been able to move forward with ideas that have worked and bring others along with them. “Journalists are completely aligned with that as well, because everyone kind of had to change their approach.”


“Covid, obviously, has made quite a big shift in the past couple of years in terms of how we do a


lot of our work.” Becky Mullen, account director


FACING THE FUTURE With Covid looming at the edge of our collective consciousness and some lingering trepidation about future events, the priority for Bastion and for games PR more widely is to remain flexible. After all, while 2022 has seen the successful return of gamescom and other expos and conferences, virtual events have not receded into the background. Organisers and publishers are still feeling their way forward about what the right strategy is at a time when digital showcases seem to arrive like London buses. It might not be until E3 next year that things feel more settled. “There’s also how consumers factor into all this as well,” adds Skipper, alluding to viewerships not reducing the appetite of gamers to attend physical events. “There are still a lot of TBCs,” says Mullen, who also


sees a greater need for flexibility in messaging and the content that Bastion produces: “I think we’re gonna see more asks for direct to consumer communication,”


“You get the line that they helped launch the original PlayStation - it’d always pop up in every interview - and you go ‘Okay, I want to work there.’” Sam Jones, influencer lead, Pinpoint


such as social media and content creation, with game developers and publishers “wanting to make their own thing and ship it directly to the consumer.” For Sam Jones, who heads up Bastion’s in-house


influencer agency, Pinpoint, the plan over the next few months is to expand. “The team will grow,” he says. “We’ll bring in more account managers, more account executives, that will sit on their own projects, but at the same time work as consultancy for the rest of the clients across the business as well. It’s a bit of a juggling act at the moment, but things are definitely coming together.”


DREAM TEAM Whatever the future has lined up, it’s evident that Bastion is well equipped to face it. 30 years of thriving in the game business is ample evidence of that. Less obvious is the strong sense of togetherness among the team, which is not something that the media often gets to see or appreciate. “Before I joined I wasn’t expecting a company where I


liked everyone,” says Skipper to a round of laughter, “and it’s nice to have a boss who I respect and is good fun.” Part of the reason, suggests Mullen, is the simple fact


of working in the games industry. “Other people who I know who work at other agencies - not in games - they always seem to be worked absolutely to the bone. They don’t seem to like any of their clients, or any of the work that they’re doing.” A lot of the credit, according to Skipper, must go to


Dean Barrett and Ravi Vijh, who perhaps through their unconventional interviewing methods, have over the last five years grown the team to four times its size while managing to make everyone feel like they are part of a small close-knit group, working as much for each other as much as their clients and contacts. “They’re just very good at selecting people that are


good communicators, a good laugh and good at what they do,” says Jones. “And that in turn just means we’re all… friends.” “I don’t really know how they do it,” adds Mullen. “They must have a Spidey sense for people.”


October/November 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 53


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