ONLINE COURSE

Marketing & Publishing for Video Games

This course is open for applications.

Study Game Marketing

Game marketing plays one of the most important roles in a game’s success, connecting a game’s creative vision with the right players, through research, positioning, storytelling, community, and performance-driven execution.

As a game marketing professional, you will work across disciplines and stakeholders, translating player insights into strategy, shaping messaging and brand identity, planning go-to-market and launch phases, and executing campaigns across platforms and communities. You’ll learn to collaborate with development teams and partners, make data-informed decisions, and build marketing systems that support a game across its full lifecycle, from pre-launch to post-launch growth and retention.

Key Info

_{^Location(s):} Online
_{^{Course start:}}Sep 2026
_^Duration: 1,5 Years
_^Language: English
_{^{Head of course:}} TBD

Applications & Tuition

_{^{Application period:}}Open
_^Tuition: EUR 2800 / semester (EUR 8400 in total)

About the Program

The Marketing in Games course equips you with the skills to plan, execute, and evaluate professional game marketing, grounded in industry tools, real case studies, and hands-on practice. You’ll learn how to research audiences, define positioning, build launch plans, craft branding and narrative marketing, run digital campaigns, support social and community strategies, handle PR and events, and measure performance through analytics and experimentation.

The course is structured in three phases: Foundations, Digital Execution & Analytics, and a final phase focused on growth, lifecycle strategy, and professional practice, supporting your ability to take a game to market and document your work as a portfolio.

Courses

Game Industry & Marketing Ecosystem_^4w
Player Psychology & Audience Research _^4w
Marketing Strategy & Planning _^5w
Branding & Storytelling for Games _^4w
Digital Marketing & User Acquisition _^5w
Social Media & Community Management _^4w
PR, Influencers & Events _^4w
Marketing Analytics & Experimentation _^4w
Growth, LiveOps & Retention _^4w
Professional Practice & Portfolio _^4w
Capstone Project _^4w

^{Please note that the courses may be subject to change based on recommendations from our Advisory Board to better align with industry needs.}

Skills and Careers

Learning Outcomes

Understanding the complexity of taking a game to market, including market structure, business models, and the roles across a game’s ecosystem.
Knowledge of player psychology and audience research, including segmentation, trend analysis, and qualitative & quantitative methods using relevant industry tools.
Knowledge of strategic marketing planning, including STP framework, defining USP, go-to-market strategy, budgeting, and planning launch phases (pre, launch, post).
Competence in branding and storytelling for games, including brand tone & identity, trailer storytelling, tagline crafting, creative briefs, narrative marketing and visual style.
Skills in digital marketing execution and user acquisition, including paid platforms, CPI & ROAS optimization, influencer marketing, ASO, and storefront algorithms.
Skills in social media and community management, including platform strategy, tone of voice, moderation, content calendars, and engagement loops.
Knowledge of PR, influencer relations, and event marketing, including press kit creation, media outreach, showcases, embargoes, and partnership workflows.
Competence in analytics and experimentation, including A/B testing, KPI tracking, retention metrics, cohort analysis, and dashboard building with relevant tools.
Understanding of lifecycle growth and LiveOps, including post-launch updates, seasonal events, retention design, and community-driven growth approaches.
Competence in professional practice, including portfolio building, case study documentation, networking, and presenting your work.

Career

Futuregames Game Project Jury Day at Campus Skellefteå. Students, staff and industry people assembled.

COURSE content

Phase 1 — Foundations of Game Marketing

Module 1: Introduction to Game Industry & Marketing Ecosystem

Structure of the game market; roles of publishers and developers; business models; major case studies (No Man’s Sky, Hades).

Module 2: Player Psychology & Audience Research

Player motivations; audience segmentation; data tools (SteamSpy, Alinea Analytics, Newzoo); trend analysis; qualitative & quantitative methods.

Module 3: Marketing Strategy & Planning

STP framework; USP; go-to-market strategies; budgeting; launch timeline and phases (pre, launch, post)

Module 4: Branding & Storytelling for Games

Brand tone & identity; trailer storytelling; tagline crafting; creative briefs; narrative marketing and visual style.

Phase 2 – Game Project 2 HANDS-ON WORK ON GAME

Phase 3 — Digital Execution & Analytics

Module 1: Digital Marketing & User Acquisition

Ad platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok); CPI & ROAS optimization; influencer marketing; App Store Optimization (ASO); storefront algorithms.

Module 2: Social Media & Community Management

Discord, TikTok, Reddit strategies; tone of voice; community moderation; content calendars and engagement loops.

Module 3: PR, Influencers, and Events

Press kit creation; media outreach; event marketing and showcases (Gamescom/GDC); influencer partnerships and embargoes.

Module 4: Marketing Analytics & Experimentation

A/B testing; KPI tracking; retention metrics; cohort analysis; dashboard building (GA4, Unity Analytics).

Phase 4 – Game Project 3 HANDS-ON WORK ON GAME

Phase 5 — Publishing, Growth & Capstone

Module 1: Game Publishing & Monetization

Publisher relations; contracts; IP; revenue splits; pitch decks; ethical monetization models and regional compliance.

Module 2: LiveOps, Retention & Community Growth

Post-launch updates; seasonal events; retention design; community-driven content; case studies (Fortnite, Dead Cells).

Module 3: Professional Practice & Portfolio

Portfolio building; case study documentation; personal brand; networking; presenting and stakeholder communication.

Phase 6 – Game Project 4 HANDS-ON WORK ON GAME

Curious about this COURSE?

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out: join@futuregames.se