Comprehensive Guide to Game Development Roles: Video Game Marketing Jobs

Are you ready to embark on a journey into the world of Video Game Marketing jobs? Look no further! In this article, brought to you by 8Bit gamedev recruiters, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty of game marketing careers. Picture this: You and your team have developed a game you’re immensely proud of. But with the dense crowd of games out there, how do you ensure yours doesn’t get overshadowed? It’s not always about just creating; it’s about positioning and promoting. From the dynamism of Community Managers to the strategic insights of Chief Marketing Officers, we’ll walk you through what it takes. Let’s delve in and navigate the vibrant landscape of Video Game Marketing together.

Also, if you want to know what are the other fields in the video game industry, check out the other parts of our game dev roles compendium:

• GAME DESIGN
• ART
• GAME PROGRAMMING
• GAME PRODUCERS
• QA

Table of contents:

1. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) / Marketing Director role
2. Marketing Manager / Marketing Specialist role
3. Content Marketing Manager
4. Copywriter role
5. PR Manager / Specialist
6. Event Manager
7. Influencer Marketing Manager
8. Digital Marketing Manager
9. Sales Manager
10. Community Manager / Social Media Manager
11. Customer Support Manager / Specialist
12. User Acquisition Manager / Specialist
13. Business Development Manager (BD) role

So let’s find out what kind of Video Game Marketing career you can pursue, shall we?

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) / Marketing Director role in the game industry

In the realm of gaming, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) isn’t just about catchy slogans and flashy ads. With usually over 8 years of experience under their belt in the areas such as Brand Management, Growth, Digital Engagement, or Product Marketing, they’re the mastermind crafting global strategies. While they might not be experts in every single marketing nuance, their experience ensures they’re on top of every strategy and outcome across all marketing avenues.

A typical CMO is the powerhouse driving the studio’s presence, with one clear mission: ensuring gamers worldwide get a taste of the studio’s fantastic games. They wear the dual hats of strategy developer and hands-on mentor, guiding both their marketing teams and other teams in the studio across performance metrics, brand campaigns, PR, social media buzz, influencer tie-ups, and so much more. By keeping a finger on the pulse of gaming’s latest marketing trends and harnessing data to steer the ship, they ensure that the studio stays ahead of the curve. Whether it’s streamlining processes for scalability or collaborating with department leads to fine-tune team performance, the CMO is the glue holding it all together in the ever-evolving gaming arena.

Predominantly this role exists in large AA/AAA studios.

Per LinkedIn Talent Insights (August 2023), 2,462 professionals globally hold titles like Chief Marketing Officer, Marketing Director, or Chief Marketing Manager within the Computer and Mobile Games sectors. This talent is highly sought after and challenging to recruit given the immense demand.

Marketing Manager / Specialist role in the game development

A Marketing Manager’s role, especially in indie or smaller studios, often mirrors that of a CMO but with its unique challenges of limited teams, budgets, and resources. That means defining the target market (which players might be potentially interested in playing the game). And then planning a strategy to reach them. Then, finally, decide what to tell them about the game to have them hooked on the concept. 

With a proven history in the gaming arena, a Marketing Manager has their finger on the game’s pulse – and that’s not just metaphorical. They’re the ones defining the target audience, strategizing to reach them, and crafting those irresistible hooks that reel gamers in. And it doesn’t stop there. Oftentimes, wearing multiple hats comes with the territory; they might be dabbling in PR, managing communities, or even taking a deep dive into Photoshop to ensure storefronts look their best.

But above all, they’re the champions of user acquisition and retention. Through meticulously planned and executed campaigns, they aim to skyrocket game downloads and keep players engaged. Judiciously selecting channels that promise the best returns, and always operating within the confines of set budgets, they remain pivotal in a game’s journey from concept to console.

Content Marketing Manager

Content Marketing is a tactic used to sell games through exciting content like videos, blog posts, articles, or other media. These are different than regular display ad banners that you might see from time to time (if you don’t use Adblock anyway) on the internet.

Content marketing is about showing the cool features of the game through the more interesting and engaging formats, like dev diaries.

You might encounter Content Marketers in bigger companies. However, if the company is small – a marketing specialist can take care of the responsibilities of the Content Marketing Manager.

Copywriter role in the game industry

All games descriptions in the stores, on the boxes, emails, and blog posts need someone who knows which words to use to sell the idea behind the game that the game studio is developing. Copywriter needs to know how to write catchy and attention copy and understand communication principles.

Not all game studios boast a dedicated Copywriter. LinkedIn Talent Insights (August 2023) reveals that a mere 790 professionals hold the title “Copywriter” within the Computer and Mobile Games sectors. In the absence of a Copywriter, it’s often PR or Marketing Specialists donning the writer’s hat, which might explain the limited number of full-time copywriters in the gaming realm.

Given that this role doesn’t always demand extensive gaming experience, it’s an ideal gateway into the industry for budding marketers.

PR Manager / Specialist role in game development

PR Manager’s job is to take care of the image of the brand or a company. They meticulously prepare all the company’s messages (press releases) to share with the players, press, or any interested party.

They’re the points of connection with the media (and if there’s no influencer marketing manager – also with the influencers).

Public Relations Manager need to have a high level of consciousness when it comes to communication since it’s crucial to send the right message that is going to be understood by the recipients.

In case of a a crisis – they will be the first on the field to deal with the mess.

Event Manager role in the game industry

In larger AA/AAA game studios, this position is more prevalent. It’s no shocker that industry giants like Roblox, Garena, NetEase, and Wargaming, each with a workforce exceeding 3.5k employees, lead the pack in employing massive event crews (sources: LinkedIn Talent Insight & 8Bit’s Business Insights). This role’s job is to plan and organize all company events. That includes events for the game studio itself, but it also means that they need to take care of stuff when the company attends huge ass gaming expos like E3, or Gamescom.

That means to secure the venue, fill it with the needed equipment, make sure that every person required on-site – will be there.

Influencer Marketing Manager role in gamedev

Bigger companies who have huuuuge budgets for influencer relations need influencer marketing managers – people who have good relations with influencers (like YouTubers, Twitch streamers, TikTokers).

Influencer marketing managers take care of all the promotional campaigns that involve influencers. First, they need to pick the proper influencer to promote the game. Then, manage the rest of the marketing team to get the most of the partnership with included influencers.

Diving into gamedev? The Influencer Marketing Manager role is a prime pick, especially if you’re a passionate gamer or streamer who knows the lingo and can vibe with influencers.

Digital Marketing Manager role in the game industry

This position is more of a generalist proficient in online-based marketing. They are usually jack of all trades who know marketing basics, but they’re also using a different mix of tactics to achieve their marketing goals.

Within the gaming industry, their toolkit might encompass techniques like SEO (search engine optimization), ensuring the game or studio appears prominently in organic search results. They also masterfully handle paid campaigns, whether that’s through SEM (search engine marketing) or other PPC (pay-per-click) avenues. Their prowess extends to social media marketing, amplifying the game’s presence on platforms where gamers hang out, and (sometimes, when the Content Marketer is absent) they craft compelling content that resonates with the gaming community. Furthermore, they know how crucial it is to maintain direct communication lines with fans and players, often employing email marketing strategies. In a rapidly evolving industry like gaming, these digital marketers stay agile, always ready to adapt and pivot to the latest trends and tools.

Sales Manager role in the gamedev

The sales manager manages all the publishing-related deals. Both in digital distribution and retail (boxes).

When it comes to negotiating new sales & publishing deals, pushing the games into a new promising market, and planning all the needed discounts and promotions. The Sales Manager works closely with the core marketing team.

And again – if the structure of the company doesn’t have a sales manager in their ranks – it’s usually something that a marketing specialist would take over.

Community Manager / Social Media Manager in the game development

This role is often perceived as the go-to job if you want to climb the ladder in marketing.

Community Managers are the pivotal link between developers and players. Community managers often create engaging content and activities, orchestrate in-game events, and use analytics to gauge players’ needs. Beyond just social media, they manage live streams, and handle feedback, ensuring the game evolves with its audience. With their finger always on the community’s pulse, they’re instrumental in both understanding gamers and channeling their insights back to the studio.

It’s a role that demands a deep understanding of gamers, a knack for communication, and an innate ability to organize and analyze. So, the next time you see a well-coordinated in-game event or read a heartfelt newsletter from your favorite game, know that behind that is a Community Manager who deserves every bit of appreciation for nurturing and championing the game’s community.

Customer Support Manager / Specialist role in the gamedev

Customer Support or Customer Experience specialists take care of all potential inquiries players might have. For example, if a game crashes or certain bugs need to be fixed, the Customer Support Specialist gets those emails and forwards them to the development team (usually a QA team). After that, they need to talk the issue through the customer (player), propose a solution, or guide a player through the features and functionalities.

So as you can see, this role works two ways:

• you gather the feedback and share with the dev team what can be improved
• you’re taking care of the players’ overall experience – making it even better

People working in this role require exceptional communication skills, often navigating challenging issues to foster players’ trust. Given that these abilities are transferable across industries, breaking into gaming as a customer success manager becomes maybe not the easiest, but certainly viable after diving deep into gaming communities and mastering the industry’s lingo.

User Acquisition Manager / Specialist role in the mobile game industry

This role is more often seen in the mobile gaming industry. Mainly because the success of most mobile games is related to the paid traffic the companies are buying.

So the User Acquisition Manager’s job is to make sure to bring these players to the game or the app.

UA Manager, besides being very proficient in running paid marketing campaigns, should also be very skilled in analytics to know how to analyze and optimize the results of the campaigns.

Business Development Manager (BizDev, BD) role in the game industry

These folks usually speak with all kinds of possible partners like publishers and platform holders (like Sony, Microsoft, Steam, or Nintendo, Apple). To ensure that the business side of the whole operation grows.

They’re negotiating new publishing deals or partnerships with the brands.

100% attending every possible gaming event to meet with other BDRs (business development representatives).

This role requires a person to be an excellent communicator and proficient in negotiations.

Check our latest gamedev job postings!

Jobs

Ok, so that concludes our Video Game Marketing jobs list

If you think that we missed something – let us know!

And for more game job career advice, see our other blog posts:

• 8 tips for nailing a job interview in the game industry
• Game recruiters are your best allies. Period. Check out why!
• Junior game development job. How to get in?
• Top tips for building a killer Linkedin profile

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.