Screen Queensland
invites you to apply for
Surprise Attack
Games Publishing and Marketing Workshop
presented by sqhub
“How to discover and amplify what is remarkable about your game”
2.30pm – 5.00pm
Thursday 31 May 2018
Brisbane Powerhouse, Rooftop Terrace
119 Lamington Street, New Farm
Cost: $20 per person
Maximum of six (6) teams of up to five (5) per team
Selected via EOI process
Applications close Midnight Sunday 20 May 2018
Presented by Chris Wright, Founder and Managing Director of indie label Surprise Attack Games.
When people talk about marketing it’s usually about promotion – how to get more visibility, how to talk to the press, how to set up a trade show booth. However, none of that is any use unless you first have something interesting to promote.
In the inherently noisy, crowded market for games, the ones that succeed are the ones that stand out, the games that are remarkable.
Through this interactive Games Publishing and Marketing workshop Chris will teach you the process that the team use at Surprise Attack Games to figure out what is remarkable about a game, what does or could make it interesting enough to stand out and how to turn that into a one sentence pitch that will get attention.
Developed through years of working in both the AAA and indie spaces and tried and tested on over 100 games such as Hacknet, Armello and Orwell, these positioning exercises provide a simple, structured way of thinking about and discussing this critical aspect of game development and marketing. You’ll walk away with practical knowledge that you can apply immediately.
Chris Wright (pictured) is the Founder and Managing Director of indie label Surprise Attack Games, games marketing and PR agency, Double Jump Communications and indie games funding group The Treasure Hunters Fan Club.
After 10 years working in the AAA games industry including senior marketing roles at THQ, Chris found himself out of a job in 2011 when THQ closed Bluetongue and THQ Studio Aus. Inspired by developers going indie at this time and the disruption happening in the industry, Chris set out to build his own publisher from scratch. Honestly, how hard could it be, right?
Seven years on and Surprise Attack Games is a successful boutique indie label with an international reputation and a focus on unusual and weird games, particularly those that push the boundaries of narrative in games.
Along the way Chris consulted with over 150 indies including work on Armello, Framed, Hackycat, Time Surfer and Puzzle Retreat and built Australia’s leading games-specialist PR and marketing agency (Double Jump Communications) with clients including Blizzard Entertainment, Epic Games, Wizards of the Coast, Versus Evil, Razer, ASUS, Elgato, HyperX and Plantronics. In October 2017, Chris launched The Treasure Hunters Fanclub, gathering a group of successful members of the industry keen to invest into games that Surprise Attack publishes. Members of the club include Morgan Jaffit (Defiant Development), Andy Sum (Hipster Whale), Alx Preston (Heart Machine) and Phil Fish (Polytron).
Surprise Attack
Games Publishing and Marketing Workshop
Date: Thursday 31 May 2018
Times: 2.30pm – 5.00pm
Location: Brisbane Powerhouse, Rooftop Terrace
119 Lamington Street, New Farm
Cost: $20 per person
Maximum of five (6) teams of up to five (5) people per team
Selected via EOI process
** NB: Successful applicants will be invoiced upon acceptance of their spot in the workshop **
Applications are now open and close
Midnight 20 May 2018
