“It’s like Dark Souls, but with guns…”

After recently formed Swedish studio Toadman Interactive revealed its hardcore action RPG game Immortal: Unchained in the summer of 2017, they enlisted us to introduce it to Western media at PAX West. Despite the hang-ups gaming media tend to have for new franchises, we secured impressions from major gaming outlets including PC Gamer, Game Informer and Hardcore Gamer. Considering the direction and tone of the game, we made sure to target editors that understand what makes this type of game special, a tactic we developed further for the PC alpha test.

With PAX West in the rear-view mirror, the first PC alpha test was the next key PR beat to tackle. This was an especially crucial milestone, as it was the first time media and consumers could actually go hands-on with the game. We were tasked with building exposure for this beat so Toadman could gather media and consumer feedback to help refine and shape the game.

To lock in appointments for the alpha in early March, we began outreach to Dark Souls-enthusiast media in late February to ensure ample time to pitch and secure interest. We wanted to ensure editors would have enough time to really delve into the game so they’re able to provide meaningful impressions. With advanced access, media can also prepare previews that will go live right when the embargo time lifts, ensuring solid launch day coverage.

To maintain and develop the relationships we began at PAX West, we made sure to include the press that saw the game at the show in our outreach for the closed alpha. We believe building these relationships is a critical component to securing coverage, one we especially wanted to continue laying the groundwork for as we head towards launch later this year.

To help boost exposure for the closed alpha, we pitched giveaways to a number of key gaming outlets so they could offer codes to readers. We secured giveaways with outlets including Dark Side of Gaming, MMOHuts and The Koalition. These giveaways helped bring in new excited players, increasing participation numbers and giving Toadman a larger pool of gamers to collect the valuable feedback they needed.

When the embargo lifted, it was clear Toadman was headed in the right direction with Immortal: Unchained. Previews from Game Informer, OnRPG, GameSapce and COGConnected all provided valuable insight and remain optimistic for the first entry from this new developer.

“Immortal: Unchained is in Alpha, but it’s definitely got the right idea, and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how it is adjusted, and how it grows from here,” OnRPG writer Jason Parker wrote.

Check out a few of the coverage highlights of Immortal: Unchained below!

Immortal: Unchained is off to a promising start, and we’re eager to keep you updated as we continue the push towards launch.