Apex Legends, the new battle royale game from Respawn Entertainment, achieved 25 million installs within the first six days of its release. Interestingly, the game achieved this success without any traditional marketing campaign.
So, how did the game achieve such remarkable success? The developers hired the top 100 influencers in the game industry and invited them to the studio to see the game before it was launched. This created a sense of exclusivity and excitement around the game even before it was released.
On the day before the launch, these influencers started teasing a big announcement, which generated hype and anticipation among their followers. This strategy proved successful, as the game was already trending on social media platforms before it was officially released.
When the game was finally launched, Respawn Entertainment debuted it on a live stream, where the public was informed about its release. The influencers who were invited to see the game also streamed and played it, which significantly impacted its popularity. Having all the top gaming influencers playing the same game at the same time enabled Apex Legends to dominate Twitch, and by the end of their debut live stream, they were the top game on Twitch, trending on YouTube.
The success of Apex Legends has demonstrated the power of influencer marketing in the game industry. By collaborating with top gaming influencers, Respawn Entertainment generated massive hype and excitement for their game, resulting in its success.
Influencer marketing is not something new. Nowadays, it can even be considered one of the “traditional” marketing methods. What is untraditional is that Respawn Entertainment undertook a “stealth campaign” to create the hype and specifically avoided any more traditional marketing methods. Observing how or if this success will affect the game industry’s attitude toward more conventional marketing methods will be interesting.
