As Hi-Rez Studios prepares for its annual gathering in Atlanta, complete with cosplay and competition, Cynopsis Esports caught up with company marketer Andee Cantatore to break down how they are leveraging the event and its esports to boost the brand and game sales.
On Hi-Rez Expo: Hi-Rez Expo is a four day immersive experience for fans of Hi-Rez titles. It’s a gathering of around 3,000 super fans of SMITE and Paladins. The cosplay, the showroom floor, the esports are all dedicated to Hi-Rez Games. Players get to meet other dedicated SMITE and Paladins fans from all over the world. At most cons, the SMITE and Paladins fans feel like they are in the minority. But HRX is a weekend dedicated entirely to our gaming community.
On lessons learned: Our biggest strategy for engaging fans at HRX is attending the event ourselves! All of our 400+ employees are encouraged to attend the event and meet the players of our games. Fans can meet our on-screen personalities, stand in the food truck line with our developers, and get in lengthy meta discussions with our pro players. HRX really breaks down that barrier between studio and players. This is our 4th annual esports event, and it evolves every year. We’ve added a second stage, a huge free-play area, and an opening keynote address. We have definitely learned that people at home want to see the new game content we announce at the expo! We will live stream a keynote address right after doors open this year, at 9:15 AM EST on twitch.hireztv.
On esports: Esports is the best way to spread the word about our titles! We see a measurable spike in the number of new players trying our titles during esports events. It’s also the best way to show the full potential of our games. Pro players really are an elite group of gamers who come up with game-play strategies that the devs never even thought of. They shape the upcoming seasons of each game and influence balance by showing us new possibilities.
