Refining Tunic's Marketing Strategy

Tunic's unveiling at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference generated significant buzz, but also created challenges for the game's publisher, Finji. In a recent presentation, Finji co-founder and CEO Bekah Saltsman discussed the company's efforts to manage expectations and communicate the game's true nature to potential customers over the 19 months leading up to its release. Saltsman noted that people tend to fill in gaps in information with their own ideas, which can lead to misconceptions about a game. She emphasized the importance of critically evaluating how others talk about a project and how to present it in a way that controls the narrative. To address these issues, Finji identified three major problems that needed to be addressed before the game's launch. One of the problems stemmed from Xbox head Phil Spencer's description of Tunic as a solo-developed game, when in fact around 50 people worked on it. Saltsman stated that this issue was relatively easy to fix by highlighting the contributions of the entire development team. The remaining two problems were more complex. Many people who saw the game's E3 trailer thought of Zelda, which was both beneficial and problematic due to Tunic's deliberately challenging combat. The worry was that fans of Zelda or those expecting a cozy game with a cute fox protagonist would be disappointed by the game's difficulty. To address this, Finji refined its marketing message and materials to convey what the game was and wasn't. The company also wanted to emphasize the game's inspiration from Fez, particularly in its focus on secrets and discovery. The first two hours of the game are designed to be confusing, with the player waking up on a strange island with no clear direction. This approach was intentionally chosen to teach players to ask the right questions and think critically. However, this made it challenging to market the game without giving away its secrets. The press was the first group to get hands-on experience with the game, but they wouldn't have the benefit of a large community to collaborate with and solve puzzles. To address this, Finji created a new demo that showcased the game's combat and included secrets for the community to discover. The company also gave IGN an exclusive preview, providing access to the entire development team to help address misconceptions about the game. Saltsman emphasized the importance of finding the right audience and getting the game in front of them, rather than relying on a single large platform. The release date trailer, which debuted at The Game Awards, reflected the corrective message that Finji wanted to convey. In the final three months leading up to launch, Finji focused on press and PR initiatives, pitching stories that highlighted the game's unique aspects, such as its level design and combat mechanics. The company also set up a Discord server for 500 members of the press, where they could collaborate and solve puzzles together. This approach helped create a sense of community and encouraged the press to talk about the game in a way that was consistent with Finji's vision. The end result was a successful launch, with Tunic receiving an 85 Metacritic review average on Xbox and PC, which later grew to 88 on Switch and PS5. Saltsman attributed this success to the re-evaluation and refinement of the game's marketing strategy, which helped ensure that players knew what to expect from the game.