Sony Online chief turns directly to gamers on Reddit and Twitch to promote his zombie apocalypse game H1Z1

When Sony Online Entertainment wanted to tout H1Z1, an upcoming game where thousands of players can gather online as humans holding out against the zombie apocalypse, it didn’t take out an ad in a slick magazine or run a TV commercial. Rather, John Smedley, president of SOE, a division of Sony and maker of games like EverQuest, had his team promote the game on both Reddit and Twitch.

Welcome to the new age of game marketing. By going direct to player broadcasters on Twitch and online commenters on Reddit, Smedley is going where the audience has moved. He wants to reach gamers directly with an unfiltered description of exactly what gamers will get with his game. And once they’re hooked, they will hopefully become the game’s best evangelists. Smedley himself is communicating directly with the fans.