Play, win, tell – What we can learn about Brand Storytelling from the Gaming Industry

From cult cinema to the great art of world literature – people love a good story. The entertainment industry is no different. In addition to the latest cinema movie, the current bestsellers on bookstore shelves or the red-hot chartbreaker from the pen of Taylor Swift, there is another contender for the winner’s podium of successful storytelling in the entertainment industry.

Thanks to its unique narrative possibilities, the games industry manages to turn its viewers into actual actors in its stories and thus captivate them. But that’s not what we want to focus on today. Instead, we want to take a look at the use of storytelling in brand and corporate communication. The studios and developers behind the games are pretty good at telling their own narratives. To understand how corporate storytelling works in the gaming industry and what lessons other industries can learn from it, let’s take a look at two different narrative approaches used by game developer studios in their corporate communications.

Beyond pixels and clicks: captivating stories in and behind games

Video and computer games offer a unique variety of narrative possibilities, from dialogue-based role-playing games to environmental storytelling, in which the environment itself becomes the story. Game like ‘The Witcher’, ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Mass Effect’ captivate players with complex plots and branching narratives that are based on the player’s decisions and deal with profound themes such as morality, loss and survival.

The companies behind the games also know how to skilfully tell their own stories. One example is the developer studio ‘Riot Games’, which revolutionised the free-to-play market with ‘League of Legends’ and became one of the leading developers of e-sports titles, while always emphasising its roots as an up-and-comer and underdog from the community.

But it’s not just big studios that benefit from strong narratives. The indie scene also relies on convincing storytelling. Those who have few resources for graphics, sound and marketing can, at best, rely on the persuasive power of their stories – both inside and outside the game. ‘Stories matter’ applies here more than ever. Eric Barone, for example, created a successful indie game with ‘Stardew Valley’, which is closely linked to its own story and thus proves the power of authentic heroic stories.

Eric Barone: From indie developer to industry star

Eric Barone, fresh out of university with a degree in computer science, couldn’t find a suitable job where he could give free rein to his creativity. So instead, he decided to develop his own video game and taught himself all the necessary skills. He worked around the clock on ‘Stardew Valley’ for four years, financed by a part-time job and the support of his girlfriend. Through close contact with the community, he built up a fan base even before the game was released. When the game was published in 2016, it was a huge success and sold over 30 million copies worldwide – a true hero’s journey.

Eric Barone’s hero’s journey in 12 steps

1. Ordinary world: Eric Barone is unemployed and looking for a job that gives him room for creativity and his own creations.

2. Call to Adventure: Inspired by a game from his childhood, Harvest Moon, he wants to learn how to develop a game that fulfils his own needs and desires.

3. Refusal: He is faced with the challenge of developing a game alone and without prior knowledge and is plagued by self-doubt, isolation and money worries.

4. Mentor: As well as being inspired by the Harvest Moon game series, Barone’s partner Amber is his most important mentor. With her support, the development of ‘Stardew Valley’ succeeds.

5. First threshold: ‘Stardew Valley’ passes the approval process for Steam Greenlight, a funding programme for independent developers on the largest gaming platform Steam.

6. Trials, allies and enemies: The entire development process becomes a test of perseverance for Barone, with his biggest opponent being his own doubts. He finds an ally in the publishing studio Chucklefish, which supports him with administrative tasks and thus gives him more time for development.

7. Deepest cave: The persistent state of stress and anxiety leads Barone into his deepest cave. Just a few days before the release of ‘Stardew Valley’, he almost gives up. The words ‘this game sucks‘ keep repeating in his head

8. Crisis: Barone has to jump over his shadow and face his greatest fear of disappointing his family, his community and himself.

9. Reward: Just two months after its release in February 2016, ‘Stardew Valley’ becomes an international success and sells a million copies.

10. Return: Barone is constantly working on improving his game and fixing bugs through dialogue with the community.

11. Resurrection: He has managed to build a loyal and enthusiastic community and buyer base and make a name for himself as a talented indie developer in the games industry.

12. Return with the elixir: Thanks to ‘Stardew Valley’, Barone is now financially independent and can invest his resources in new projects.

The story of Eric Barone and ‘Stardew Valley’ is a prime example of the hero’s journey: He begins as an inexperienced developer, faces challenges and setbacks, and goes through a transformative journey that takes him from unknown programmer to celebrated exceptional talent. Like the hero in an epic story who faces trials, finds mentors and ultimately triumphs along the way, Barone also experiences turning points, crosses his deepest abysses and reaches his goal in the end.

From soaring highs to plummeting lows? CD Projekt creates new narratives

In addition to the success stories of studios such as Riot Games or indie projects such as ‘Stardew Valley’, there are also repeated examples of failure in the games industry. For example, Polish developer studio CD Projekt managed to recover from an unprecedented crisis in 2020 thanks to storytelling. Following the storyline of ‘Rise, Fall, and Redemption’, co-founder Marcin Iwinski staged himself as a reformed mentor for millions of gamers worldwide.

Founded in Poland in the late 1980s, the game development studio ‘CD Projekt’ achieved worldwide success with its game ‘The Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt’ in 2015. The third instalment in a trilogy about the character of the witcher Geralt von Riva was long regarded by fans and the media as a prime example of storytelling in the role-playing game genre and helped the studio to sell a total of 50 million copies of the game. So it’s no wonder that five years later, gamers around the world were still eagerly awaiting the new supposed guarantee of success from the developer studio.

The release of the dystopian open-world role-playing game ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ in 2020 plunged the company into a serious crisis: the game, which was showered with praise in advance, was sharply criticised worldwide by disappointed fans due to technical problems. In the end, there was even a class action lawsuit filed by angry shareholders.

Despite this bitter setback, ‘CD Projekt’ worked to regain the trust of the community by continuously improving the game and maintaining remarkable transparency in its external communications. Throughout the crisis, CD Projekt and co-founder Marcin Iwinski took on the role of a reformed mentor alongside their disappointed community.

As is so often the case, we already know the resurrected mentor from the cinema – as well as from the biographies of successful companies. Dumbledore, companion and headmaster of the famous wizard Harry Potter, begins as an all-knowing and powerful mentor at Harry’s side, before making mistakes that jeopardise Harry Potter. By returning to his mentoring role, he later becomes a central figure in the battle against Voldemort.

CD Projekt has been one of these mentors for several years now. The following video shows a statement by Marcin Iwinski, in which he addresses his disappointed fans openly and honestly. He tells the story of a guilty and insightful mentor who recognises the challenges, admits mistakes and actively offers solutions. Through public apologies, transparent updates and roadmaps for future improvements, the studio has created a story of growth, remorse and the pursuit of a better gaming experience for their community.

When dreams become reality: The power of stories

‘Stories are what our dreams are made of.’

Final Fantasy X

The games industry impressively demonstrates how important storytelling is in captivating people and retaining their loyalty in the long term. And it’s not just about the narratives within the games, but also about the stories that the developer studios tell about themselves. Whether hero’s journeys like Eric Barone’s or the rise, fall and rebirth of established studios like CD Projekt – they all prove that authentic and emotional stories are important success factors, even in the world’s highest-revenue entertainment industry.

After all, sales figures and growth go hand in hand with the relationship to the diverse and passionate communities of the gaming world. You have to win their loyalty if you want to make it far in the gaming world – and you can only do that by not hiding your own humanity, but using it to your advantage.

Interested in even more exciting storytelling content? Then you might be interested in SAP’s Hero’s Journey: From Palatinate Startup to Global Market Leader !