Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Post-Launch Marketing

Today post-launch marketing is critical to lasting success. Too often, it can be an afterthought, with developers and publishers putting considerably more effort into traditional pre-launch campaigns.

In the era of boxed games, that mindset made sense. The vast majority of sales would happen in a short number of weeks around launch, and then all the focus would be on the next release.

Today, however, things are very different. Live games constantly evolve their offering, while countless others exist on saturated digital storefronts, fighting to break through the noise, unable to rely on launch-week sales alone. As such, the life of a game now extends into decades, with players pouring money and time into titles years after launch – as long as there are motivations to do so.

If we look at the PC games that currently dominate player attention – and even global culture – the majority are well established. Minecraft entered public alpha in 2009. Fortnite went early access in 2017. The Sims 4 debuted in 2012. They are all triumphs of quality game design, of course, but they have equally mastered post-launch marketing, pulling in revenues and growing businesses out here in 2025.

New content and events are the foundation of that longevity and post launch marketing keeps players returning. The options out there are plentiful, from paid ads and influencer campaigns to regional store promotions, community management, and traditional PR. In fact, post-launch marketing isn’t too distinct from pre-launch campaigning. There’s no wildly distinct skillset to learn. The issue is, post-launch marketing is a persistent effort, when you may also be working on content updates, or preparing the marketing of your next hit.

Before we look at solutions to that challenge, however, let's look at a game that has delivered excellence in post-launch marketing.

When Psyonix launched Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Cars in 2008, the game sold well enough, but made little impact. However, when the team reworked their creation as Rocket League, they introduced the world to what would become a phenomenon, defining a profitable new era for esports. And – on top of the game’s refined design – it was post-launch marketing that delivered that success. Today Rocket League has amassed lifetime revenues of around $943 million.

Following a debut on PC and PlayStation in 2015, a combined post-launch effort of new content, ports to other platforms, and increasingly high-profile esports events gave the marketing team plenty to share; backed up by an impressively consistent social and community effort. In 2020, the game pivoted to free-to-play, giving as much marketing momentum as a new release might enjoy. The team also mastered brand partnerships, working with the likes of Puma, Pringles, and Bugatti to constantly refresh the content offering, drawing fresh attention and new audiences to the game via unique and complimentary brand activations. Add deep connections with the esports and streaming ecosystems, and consistent influencer engagement and social campaigns, and you can see how what was once Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Cars became one of the most constantly popular games ever made.

Not every title will enjoy that degree of success, but there is plenty that can be done, particularly through having a presence across hundreds of stores across numerous global regions. While your game absolutely should be on Steam and Epic Games Store, in those places the discoverability crisis is very real. Elsewhere, standing out and staying present in the minds of vast untapped audiences can be maintained on a minimal marketing budget.

Remain passive on post-launch marketing, and you will undoubtedly see dwindling retention, decreasing engagement with new players, a slip away from the focus of influencers, social media, and press, and ultimately, a revenue projection in the wrong direction. It is sadly a path that too many games have followed to obscurity.

Here at Rokky, getting your games into multiple storefronts on a global scale is what we do. We take the stress and effort out of your distribution plans, so you can focus on making great games. But we also do a little more than other distribution partners, having formed deep relationships with hundreds of store providers. Our post-launch marketing services ensure you negate the losses you might otherwise see, keeping your game at the forefront of players’ minds globally. With Ravenswatch, we achieved this through marketing campaigns on key distribution platforms like Driffle and Kinguin. Collectively, this campaign achieved 3 million views and Ravenswatch saw a 50% increase in revenue as a result.

As a standard, we always boost games across our networks through marketing banners on the Rokky website as well as over our selling platforms – such as the vast ChinaPlay e-store, which we now own. We equally reach out to our partner distributors and customers keeping them up-to-date with your title’s launches, new releases, special offers and discounts, to ensure your games are front of mind. Rokky can also provide social media support, and we actively deliver special offers and promotions tailored to the market realities and cultural events of specific regions. Those efforts can be coordinated with your own paid advertising, PR, and influencer campaigns, amplifying impact long after launch.

Want to talk to us about what post-launch marketing we can provide? Get in touch!