VAMPIRE THERAPIST

Case Study

VAMPIRE THERAPIST

Client: Little Bat Games

Platforms: PC

Project: Steam Page Launch

Services: Press release distribution, interview outreach, Steam page copy and recommendations, and more

SUMMARY

Looking to launch a new game and studio, Little Bat Games began working with 1UP PR after meeting at Gamescom 2023, with a title that instantly inspired confidence and curiosity: Vampire Therapist. Eager to work together, 1UP was asked to assist Little Bat Games with bringing the game to prospective players.

Vampire Therapist Small Header, showing a vampire in a chair

HIGHLIGHTS

73 pieces of global news coverage when the game was revealed in January 2024, generating an estimated global reach of 291 million UMVs. Unique Monthly Visitors (UMVs) give a general overview of the maximum potential audience reached.
Breaking down these coverage figures we found that 23% published articles featured in tier 1 media (1 million+ UMV).
Positive news coverage and developer interviews from tier 1 media including PC Gamer, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, IGN and Game Rant.

OBJECTIVES

Generate media awareness and hype ahead of the global launch of Vampire Therapist.
Establish Vampire Therapist’s tone of voice, market and audience.
Analyse and provide recommendations on how to create the best first impression with fans and media, including Steam page and trailer advice.
Curate interviews with media after launch to showcase who Little Bat Games are and what Vampire Therapist is aiming to achieve.

FROM GAMESCOM TO STEAM AND BEYOND

Vampire Therapist succeeded in finding its audience and footing as soon as the first press release announcing the game’s arrival on Steam was sent to media. A host of tier 1 press were quick to share the news, with outlets like IGN reaching out to ask if they could share the trailer.

We achieved this success by carefully researching Vampire Therapist and placing it within the visual novel space. We found that there was a swathe of fully-voiced visual novels, however, none that leaned into therapy techniques, humour and vampires quite like Little Bat Games’ debut title.

Inspired by our research, we structured a seven-month plan that aimed to bring Vampire Therapist into the public eye, generate hype and then take it to launch. The first part of this plan was launching the Steam page. To help Little Bat Games create a polished Steam page, we re-wrote their first draft to put a larger focus on Sam, the player’s role in the game, whilst keeping the humorous undertones that are at the core of this title’s identity.

Alongside this, we recommended a trailer be completed ready for launch (utilising sections of the game that were already nearing completion) and securing new artwork for Steam to help bring the final polish to Vampire Therapist’s storefront.

Leading up to the game’s announcement, our objective was to generate an initial wave of excitement around the game. As the first beat in a larger campaign, we knew that it would be vital to secure targeted media outlets to help share our news. We crafted a press release that succinctly described what Vampire Therapist is, distilling the game down to the core pillars we identified in our market research and product positioning phase.

Within the first 24 hours, we had secured coverage from PC Gamer and Rock, Paper, Shotgun, which was followed by Game Rant along with a host of other media. We leveraged this initial excitement to secure an interview with Game Rant, who were excited to speak with Little Bat’s Director and voice of Theseus in Hades – Cyrus Nemati.

IGN quickly registered their interest for the trailer and press contacted us to express their desire to review Vampire Therapist, and this is something that Cyrus was thrilled to have waiting in the wings as he worked to finalise the game ahead of launch.

Off the back of a successful introduction to press, Vampire Therapist secured critical acclaim with 76 reviews from the likes of Screen Rant, Diario AS, GamesRadar+, TheGamer, The Financial Times, Eurogamer, The Spectator and Ginx. This resulted in an 81 on Metacritic and 97% positive of the total 266 reviews on Steam.