Refining Tunic's Marketing Strategy

The announcement of Tunic at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference set high expectations, but also created challenges for Finji, the game's publisher. In a presentation, Finji co-founder and CEO Bekah Saltsman detailed how the company managed expectations and communicated the game's experience to potential customers in the 19 months leading up to its release. Saltsman emphasized the importance of critically evaluating how others discuss a project and using that information to control the narrative. The company identified three key problems: the misconception that Tunic was developed by a solo creator, the mismatch between the game's actual combat and the Zelda-esque expectations, and the difficulty in conveying the game's focus on discovery without revealing its secrets. To address these issues, Finji created a new demo, secured media exclusives, and implemented press and PR initiatives. The results included a refined marketing message, a stronger online presence, and an 85 Metacritic review average at launch, which later increased to 88. Saltsman stressed that this process is ongoing and crucial in ensuring that players have the right expectations when experiencing a game.