Unmissable PR stunts from the gaming cosmos 2.0

By Arne Schreiter

This year's gamescom will take place in Cologne between August 21 and 25, 2024. The trade fair is all about gaming. As a little teaser, we are already presenting the second part of our blog post Unmissable PR stunts from the gaming cosmos.

PR stunt 1: Taylor Swift as Madden Cover Star?

American Football is a fascinating sport. Stars such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and currently Patrick Mahomes have triggered an unforeseeable hype in Europe in recent years. The result: Every season, several games of the US professional league NFL take place in London and in Germany. The NFL is constantly trying to tap into new target groups. Last year, the league was presented with a steep opportunity to do so, which has since led to countless touchdowns from a PR perspective. Travis Kelce, Star Tight End for the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and favorite target of Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been in a relationship with Taylor Swift since 2023. No explanation needed about her. Since then, millions of Swifties have been engaging with the NFL who previously probably thought Tight End was a tight-fitting garment.

The media are riding the wave. The crucial question before every Chiefs game is: Is Taylor Swift in the stadium? Most of the time she is, and so of course she is always caught on camera. The hype has already spread from the real football field to its virtual counterpart. Madden, the EA simulation of the NFL, is the must-have for anyone who wants to score  a touchdown with Taylor's boyfriend on the console at least. Madden 25 will be released on August 13. Although there is no evidence that the cover really has a significant influence on sales figures, it has always been seen as a great honor for the player or players concerned. The discussions among fans are correspondingly large months in advance. Who deserves this great recognition? No matter who EA chooses, the selection triggers controversy every year. And quite a few believe in the Madden NFL cover curse. Ever since a player replaced Hall of Fame coach and namesake John Madden for the first time 25 years ago, the chosen cover athlete - especially in the 00s - seemed to be plagued by bad luck in the corresponding season. 

It was the former NFL Quarterback Robert Griffin III  who got the discussion rolling. He published his proposal for the new Madden cover on X (previously Twitter) on April 19, 2024, arguing that given the success of Taylor's album The Tortured Poets Department, released that day, which directly broke the record for the most streamed album on Spotify in one day in 2024 in less than 12 hours, it was only logical that EA would set a new sales record for the Madden series with this cover. Many users took this as an opportunity to create their own versions of a cover featuring Taylor Swift. EA itself, however, was unimpressed.  The cover of Madden 25 will feature Christian McCaffrey, Star Runningback of the San Francisco 49ers. For him, this is definitely a late revenge,  at least on the virtual field. After all, it was him and his 49ers who lost in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas back in February. Too strong were the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce - and Taylor Swift.

 
 

PR Stunt 2: Millions alone together - The concert series in Fortnite

It's still hard to believe that it's been over four years since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. It still seems too present in the minds of many people. When boredom threatened to wear people down, gaming was the savior in need for many people.  In the virtual worlds of the gaming cosmos, they were suddenly to be found in abundance. The video game industry was therefore one of the few sectors that the pandemic did not harm. Artists, among others, experienced the contrasting program. Concerts as we know them were no longer permitted. So where to perform if the audience is no longer allowed to gather in front of the stage? When suddenly nothing went as planned and gatherings of people suddenly no longer seemed an everyday occurrence - instead, social life took place in the virtual world - creativity was the order of the day. And so the motto of many artists at that time can probably be described as follows: If my audience won't come to me, I'll come to my audience. One game that was as popular with gamers back then as it is today is Fortnite from Epic Games. Here, on the virtual islands of the game that is won by the last of 100 players standing, is the stage in front of which millions meet - legally, even in times of isolation.

And so the motto of many an artist at that time can probably be described as follows: If my audience won't come to me, I'll come to my audience. The venue for this is a game that was as popular with gamers back then as it is today: Fortnite by Epic Games. Here, on the virtual islands of the game that is won by the last of 100 players standing, is the stage in front of which millions meet - legally, even in times of isolation. The virtual stage in Fortnite will be the place where stars come together from spring 2020. In April 2020, American rapper Travis Scott was the first to take to the virtual Fortnite stage after the outbreak of the pandemic. Twelve million players - represented by their avatars - took part: a record on the Fortnite servers at the time. J Balvin appeared six months later as part of the "Fortnite" Halloween event "Fortnitemares" 2020. The event included a special in-game performance with interactive elements and exclusive in-game items. Ariana Grande performed in "Fortnite" in August 2021 as part of the "Rift Tour" event. Her virtual performance included an impressive visual show and interactive experiences for players. The tour lasted three days and pulverized Travis Scott's record: 78 million players were there - 78 million fans together with Ariana Grande alone in the vastness of the gaming cosmos.

PR Stunt 3: Just Cause 3 - When the battle for an island began in Cologne

You might think I was just trying to close a circle. And unfortunately, I have to say: it's almost like that. This text begins with reference to gamescom and it will end there too. Let's jump back nine years - gamescom 2015 in Cologne. What Square Enix is announcing here regarding its third-person shooter Just Cause 3, which was being released in December 2015, sounded like the fulfillment of a dream that many have probably dreamed before: An island of your own - all to yourself. All you have to do is play Just Cause 3 - a lot. In Just Cause 3, you play a mercenary who wants to liberate his homeland - the fictitious Mediterranean island of Medici - from a military dictatorship. It's all about destroying and killing. Whoever does this most successfully within the first 90 days after the release and is at the top of the ranking list of all players receives the prize. However, only those who have pre-ordered the game or bought the "Day One Edition" directly on the first day of sale can take part. Square Enix's intention is obvious: as many sales as possible as quickly as possible. Many gaming outlets reported on the stunt. However, almost nothing is known about the outcome of the contest. The winner probably never set foot on the island, but instead claimed the alternative prize of $50,000. Not surprisingly, the owner of the island has to bear all the costs incurred following the transfer. The game developer has never revealed where the island is located, but let's be honest - it's certainly not Medici or another dreamy vacation island in the Mediterranean. As of today, Just Cause 3 has sold over 10 million copies. The competition for an island has certainly contributed significantly to this - opened at gamescom in Cologne.

The significance of gaming, underscored by events like Gamescom, is undeniable and will continue to inspire increasingly eccentric PR stunts from those eager to ride the wave of its popularity.


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