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Twitch is one of the most influential platforms in the gaming industry right now. The streaming website has accumulated a mass of widely watched and mainstream personalities. Streamers, and streamer attention, conversely is one of the most attractive and effective tools for games looking to advertise themselves. This option is incredibly attractive, and to an extent effective, however comes with potential dangers.
Games in the modern streaming era live and die by streamer attention. When the biggest names with the widest audiences are focused on a title, then it sees a surge of viewership and players. Conversely, when personalities ‘move on’ or stop advertising a game then the player base typically drops drastically. There are countless case studies of both successes and failures as a result of this type of marketing.
Hyper Scape – Ubisoft’s Battle Royale Project
Hyper Scape was Ubisoft’s response to the rise of the Battle Royale genre. At the pinnacle of Fornite, Apex, and Call of Duty Warzone, Ubisoft released their over take on the popular genre. The market for battle royales, as we know, is over saturated with countless titles trying to get into the elusive market. Trying to separate yourself from the pack then requires intensive marketing.
Ubisoft invested hard in Twitch market, paying some of the best and most well-known stars to play the game. Ubisoft even took from the game’s prospective battle royale competitors by partnering with the likes of Turner “Tfue” Tenney and more. On its launch day, Tfue alone pulled in 50,000 viewers and the game topped the charts as the platform’s most viewed game.
If you look at the viewership and player base of Hyper Scape now, you’ll see it’s a mere shadow of its former self. Players now experience 30+ minute wait times on a regular basis and largely fails to retain new players or viewers. Hyper Scape’s story was short, a bright light that quickly fizzled out due to the volatility of streamer-focused marketing.
Is this a good or bad thing for game developers?
Twitch has seen countless cases of this since the launch and subsequent fall of Hyper Scape. Publishers have paid for streamers on mass to play their game, the most recent case being Amazon’s new MMO, New World. As stated before, this often leads to quick flashes of popularity but cause a lack of longevity. This strategy of sudden exposure is also dangers in revealing the faults of games.
For New World, the mass player base that suddenly appeared revealed an issue the game seriously damaging player’s hardware. Ultimately, for developers and game publishers, streamer marketing should be viewed as a kick start. For a one-time launch event, it could prove detrimental in the long run. Consistent updates, events, and campaigns can make this strategy work and turn streamers from advertisements to actual players.
