Members of the Great Northern Games Discord attended an AMA chat with strategic communications expert Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan, she shared what can go wrong with a lack of communications both in a team and with an audience, highlighting what steps studios should take to improve these communications and marketing strategies. Free sessions designed to support game developers happen on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) for anyone developing games who is based in The North of England and/or is part of the Game Republic network.
Running the Great Northern Games Discord forms part Game Republic’s activities supported by Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla, Double Eleven and Strategic Partner Steel City Interactive.
Here are some of the key points from the session…
Communication is Key
“You have to be really clear on what your game is and who it’s for before you start going out there externally.”- Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan
A key theme from the discussion was that clear communication when trying to market your game is essential. Articulating the premise of your game in a concise way is key when developing a game and should be considered throughout the entire process, not just in marketing alone. When a team cannot clearly define what they’re building, players can define the game in their own terms, so when the game is launched, it can cause reputational problems when the game is not what was expected. Charlotte emphasised that a developer should be able to explain the game in a sentence to ensure the concept is simple enough for the audience to understand, therefore while developing a game, from the early stages, it is crucial to establish clarity first and lead with a consistent message.
One Owner, One Message
“Making sure you’ve got one named owner internally, someone who takes ownership of comms is the central point.” – Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan
A recurring point throughout the discussion was that consistency has to be built in the early stages of game development and sustained throughout. To be successful, Charlotte stressed the importance of having one owner of communications, even if it is part-time and in a small studio, who acts as the ‘central point, and gets the whole team to agree on what they will say when communicating the game to the public. When that agreement is missing, the result is increased ambiguity, which can confuse a potential audience base when marketing a game. Charlotte suggested communicating with your team and getting each member to describe the game in a single sentence, if there are big discrepancies between answers, more clarification is needed before promoting the game publicly.
What To Do With a Small Budget
“Three channels, which you’ve run consistently, are better than seven, with two not doing anything” – Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan
Effective communications don’t require a big budget, it requires a concise plan and consistency. It was articulated that having an agreement that details what the game is, what it is not and which aspects of the game will be released to the public can be a useful tool when establishing communications in a team. Writing that agreement down and revisiting it, keeps everyone aligned and helps to prevent future miscommunications with an audience.
On social media channels, she warned against spreading too thin, and that less channels with regular content are more effective when marketing a game. The key is working out who the target audience for your game is and where they spend their time on social media, then focusing your marketing on such platforms.
When Communications Go Wrong
“State the news first. Do not give the explanation, and then mention what’s happening in the third paragraph, because it just sounds like you’re trying to build an alibi.” – Charlotte Grafton-Callaghan
One of the more difficult points discussed during the chat was how to ensure a mistake is handled in a way that maintains a good reputation for a studio and ensures the marketing for a game remains effective, without being overshadowed. Her advice for crisis comms was to be transparent about the impact for the audience and release the news first to control the narrative rather than ignoring, being defensive or trying to deny it later. She emphasised to be clear and concise to foster audience trust and that it is good to give a range of time rather than a specific date, because it’s better to slip once than multiple times. The main principle is that transparency is about giving an audience enough information without over explaining that they don’t make assumptions to fill in the gaps which can gather more negative attention. She also highlighted that if there are any legal implications to go through a lawyer first, but above all, audiences respect clarity, and a clear, honest statement, can be the fastest way back to reestablishing trust in a community.
Key takeaways
The core message was that clear communication starts internally, and in the earliest stages of the game development process. It is also important to be able to explain your game in one sentence and know who it’s for, because if those decisions haven’t been made, there is an increase in ambiguity for the audience, which can attract the wrong players. Maintaining clarity in a team requires a single named owner and an agreement on what will and what will not be said. A small budget can be utilised effectively by putting energy in the right places and not spreading too thin when promoting a game using various social media channels; and when communications go wrong, state the news first and stay transparent with the audience to avoid negative assumptions.
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