This article appears in the March 2018 issue of strategy.
+ Bronze: Targeting
Red Barrels’ Outlast game successfully launched in 2013 with eight million downloads. In 2017, the developer was set to launch Outlast 2 and needed to create hype for the game five months ahead of its release.
The insight was that Outlast 2 is so scary that it would make gamers fill their pants. The brand also wanted to tap into the internet gaming subculture’s distinct sarcasm and self-mockery. So, to help players enjoy Outlast 2 without worrying about their underpants, the developer and Sid Lee created “Underscares,” the ultimate gaming diaper. Red Barrels used Kickstarter as a hub for the Underscares launch and featured a prototype of a real, usable and washable gamer diaper. Gamers could pledge various sums of money in exchange for rewards.
Results
More than 300,000 gamers purchased Outlast 2. The game generated $13 million in revenue and $5 million in profit. The campaign reached more than 2.1 million Facebook fans, with more than 200,000 social engagements; 79,000 Twitter impressions; and 760,000 video views (Facebook, YouTube, and Kickstarter combined).
