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PR Crisis Planning in the Gaming Industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes
The gaming industry has an incredible fan-base. These fans will travel the world to take part in tournaments or to watch their favourite players.
There are very active communities that discuss pre-launch and post-launch games. Die-hard fans to recreational players, the community and interactivity that the gaming industry sees is incredible.
The issue with these communities, global and growing fans and channels of interaction is that things can get out of shape pretty fast.
The gaming public loves to speculate and they tend to be pretty good at expectation setting. It’s when things go wrong or the opposite of fan expectations that makes this industry show it’s depth with the public.
Mismatched messaging and mistimed releases spread like wildfire, from one community to another. From one poor review to hundred’s one small trigger can feel like a catalyst for impending doom.
But, like any other company you can be forward thinking and start conducting crisis planning. Discussing any crazy idea that could become a reality which will cause potential disaster makes a big difference. When disaster strikes you do not want to be fixing problems as you go along.
3 Gaming PR Disasters in 2018
You have most likely seen one of the PR disasters below last year, either from industry news. Or you could have seen it all unfold on platforms such as Reddit where the gaming community is strong.
EA’s Battlefield 5
A popular multiplayer franchise with an avid following until it left marketing for BF5 a bit lacklustre. The initial trailers were being accused of showing unrealistic battles and females in the field. This caused a stir with many fans and Patrick Soderlund reply caused a stir:
“These are people who are uneducated—they don’t understand that this is a plausible scenario, and listen: this is a game.” he also added to the statement “And we don’t take any flak. We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game. I’m fine with either or. It’s just not ok”.
Diablo Immortal
Diablo for a lot of gamers is a game that they grew up playing. With it’s unusual style and ‘different’ formula the game has kept a solid and committed fan base.
So at Blizzcon, the Diablo fans were expectant of a Diablo 4 at the very least. Things didn’t pan out as expected and the actual presentation was very much against gamers desires – a mobile version.
Diablo fans started to accuse Blizzard of trying to cash in on mobile gaming. With the presenters response being “Do you guys not have phones?” the announcement didn’t go as planned.
The real problem here is that a Diablo follow-up game was announced after. Which could have avoided this drama and not getting referenced to as it is now.
Bethesda’s Fallout 76
A fantastic and much-loved game series as with the examples above, Fallot 76 was meant to be a big release. Yet, Bethesda went across the grain and instead of sticking with the style and format that the fans are used too, they changed things up.
The real problem was that on release the game was considered unplayable. Endless glitches and problems resulted in many complaints. Many people even requested a refund which was acknowledged at first but soon these were denied. For obvious reasons this didn’t go down well with the community.
Planning for Crises in Gaming
It’s pretty evident that with a gaming series you should stick with what works and not try to cash in on the user base. That’s a first but how can you prepare for the many other circumstances or scenarios that could happen?
PR crisis planning for gaming is exactly the same as any other industry. It takes time and working together to brainstorm the most ridiculous ideas to the most common but it allows you to pre-plan how to fix things.
Planning for a PR crisis needs full attention and to get various people from the company involved. I’ll break down into sections the steps to take in crisis planning.
1. Anticipate All Crises
There are no ideas which are too silly or far-fetched. Get as many ideas added with this exercise. Ensuring you cover all basis and as I said, there are no bad or silly ideas. The world works in mysterious ways so anything can happen.
2. Assemble the Team
You need to gather key people from all areas of your business. Sales, marketing, management and so on. These individuals will provide a unique view of your customers, industry and company that you may not see. Having various roles from parts of the company also make #1 much easier.
3. Spokespeople
Who will run the show during a crisis? The default would be the CEO. But, are they the right person for the situation? Again start to build a list of spokespeople that will be the key individual to speak with media etc during a crisis.
4. Monitoring Systems
In PR, especially a crisis, you need to start controlling the conversation as soon as possible. If the community or media take control, then you have a serious issue on your hands. Monitoring systems provide you with an easy way to hear what people are saying and engage with them.
5. Know Your Stakeholders
With the crisis examples above it may feel as if the company forgot about their stakeholders. Which makes this exercise even more valuable. When running through this everyone will get a reminder of who they are appealing to and why – avoiding any potential crisis too.
6. Holding Statements
These are silent press releases or dedicated newsrooms that wait in darkness for crisis to strike. They tend to be a selection of statements to address most of the scenarios that you have played out. With placeholders to swap in/out wording on the go.
Prepping for a crisis needs time, care and attention otherwise there are many risks that come with a runaway disaster. To maximize the crisis plan you can check out this indepth crisis planning guide that I also created with a downloadable spreadsheet.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: PR Crisis Planning in the Gaming Industry

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Kaizen Foundation and UEFA Foundation for Children send strong message on inclusion through continued partnership
The Kaizen Foundation participates in UEFA Foundation for Children’s 10th Anniversary celebration, supporting amputee football and raising awareness about inclusion through sport. The partnership will expand into the summer through the “Legacy for the Future” project.
Kaizen Foundation, the Social Purpose Foundation funded exclusively by Kaizen Gaming, is announcing its participation in the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the UEFA Foundation for Children. During the celebrations, the Kaizen Foundation will be sponsoring a showcase match of two amputee teams with players from Greece, England and Poland at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon on April 28th at 15:30-16:45 CEST. This will be followed by a dedicated cup ceremony.
The focus of the celebrations – held in collaboration with the UEFA Foundation’s partners Football Is More and the European Amputee Football Federation – is inclusion in sports. The amputee football match offers a unique opportunity to witness the incredible spirit and talent of amputee athletes as they compete for the trophy. Highlighting the importance of inclusion in football, the game is guaranteed to captivate the audience and showcase football’s unifying power.
In addition, the Kaizen Foundation will be supporting a Conference on Inclusion to discuss football’s role in social responsibility and inclusion. Happening at the Chateau de Bossey, scheduled to take place earlier on the same day at 11.00 – 12.30 CEST, the conference will feature high-profile guests, including Prof. Dr. Jürgen Buschmann from the German Sports University of Cologne.
Kaizen Foundation and UEFA Foundation for Children expand their partnership into the “Legacy for the Future” project
Excitingly, the Kaizen Foundation is also announcing the expansion of its successful partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children by supporting the “Legacy for the Future” project, aiming to leave a lasting legacy which fosters the empowerment of girls and women in countries from the UEFA participating national associations.
Within the framework of this partnership, Kaizen Foundation shall support initiatives undertaken by Τhe UEFA Foundation for Children across Portugal, Belgium, Germany and Denmark. The initiatives aim to empower girls and women to dismantle barriers in football and beyond, namely in education, legal rights and access to sport. Said initiatives will be associated with the respective women’s national teams, in order to enhance visibility and promote collective social responsibility.
This builds on the Kaizen Foundation’s inaugural partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children to support the “10,000 Smiles” project, which provided 10,000 UEFA EURO 2024™ match tickets to associations working with vulnerable children. As part of the expansion of this partnership, Kaizen Foundation shall donate €300,000 to further aid the UEFA Foundation for Children’s aims and ambitions.
“It’s a great honour to be part of the UEFA Foundation for Children’s 10th Anniversary celebrations,” said Panos Konstantopoulos, President of the Kaizen Foundation. “By championing inclusion through the amputee match, we hope to inspire clubs and communities across Europe and the globe to take meaningful steps toward breaking down barriers. The UEFA Foundation for Children does extraordinary work, and we are thrilled to expand our partnership into the Legacy for the Future project, supporting local charities with the mission to dismantle barriers for girls in and out of sports. Our joint initiatives are a powerful reminder that nothing should stand in the way of what people can achieve, regardless of who they are or where they come from.”
“Football has an extraordinary power to bring everybody together. Partnering with organisations like the Kaizen Foundation is key to building a movement that drives real impact and leaves a lasting legacy,” said Carine N’koué, General Secretary of UEFA Foundation for Children. “Not only are we celebrating our 10th Anniversary together, but by deepening our collaboration with the Legacy for the Future project, we can continue to build on our mission to use the power of football to unite and bring joy to millions of disadvantaged children around the world.”
The post Kaizen Foundation and UEFA Foundation for Children send strong message on inclusion through continued partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Fanatics Sportsbook Is the Fastest Growing Sportsbook in America – and Is Expanding Its FanCash and Fair Play Initiatives
Awarded $750k in FanCash last Week and Extended Fair Play Protection to First Half for NBA Playoffs |
Since its inception, Fanatics Sportsbook has been able to set itself apart from the competition with customer-first initiatives like FanCash Drops and Fair Play. Fanatics Sportsbook has expanded those efforts with the launch of the brand-new FanCash Drop game and an exclusive extension of the Fair Play policy from the first quarter to the first half for all games throughout the NBA Playoffs. Fanatics Sportsbook, now the fastest growing sportsbook in America*, recently debuted FanCash Drop, a new game giving customers the chance to win up to $10k in FanCash.** Last week, Fanatics Sportsbook awarded more than $750k in FanCash as part of the new FanCash Drop game. With 75% of sportsbook customers using FanCash and up to 10% of FanCash being redeemed each month on Fanatics.com and the Fanatics app, FanCash has become a major reason for customers to choose Fanatics Sportsbook. FanCash Drop will be available to sportsbook customers every Friday, and prizing will vary each week. Fanatics Sportsbook customers have enjoyed more than $6 million in winning payouts thanks to Fair Play since the start of the football season. Every year during the NBA playoffs, the game’s brightest stars rise to meet the moment, so it’s only fitting that Fanatics Sportsbook does the same, with an exclusive Fair Play protection extension from the first quarter to the first half for the entire NBA Playoffs. Fair Play will kick in whether it’s a straight, parlay or Same Game Parlay (SGP). In addition, Fanatics Sportsbook will introduce the Fair Play Hub in the app, where customers can track live player news and Fair Play payouts. Customers can download the Fanatics Sportsbook app on iOS and Android and for up to date news and information on Fair Play follow the Fanatics Sportsbook social channels on X @FanaticsBook and on Instagram @FanaticsSportsbook.
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Vixio’s Chief Analyst James Kilsby Honored As Silver Stevie® Award Winner In 2025 American Business Awards®
Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, is proud to announce that James Kilsby, Chief Analyst, has been named the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the Thought Leader of the Year – Business category in the 23rd Annual American Business Awards®. The American Business Awards are the United States’ premier business awards program.
Kilsby was honored for his impactful leadership in providing intelligence on regulatory and compliance trends affecting the global gambling industry, particularly in emerging markets like Brazil. In an industry where compliance monitoring is cumbersome, his analysis, forecasts, and deep expertise help take the complexity out of compliance. His work in 2024 included in-depth analysis of the new regulated Brazilian gambling market and the launch of Vixio’s Technical Compliance Tool.
Roseanne Spagnuolo, Chief Research & Data Officer, Vixio, said: “James’ contributions to the gambling industry and to Vixio are significant. Some of the world’s biggest brands trust Vixio to monitor regulatory developments affecting their licences and identify new market and product opportunities. James’ expertise, especially in emerging markets in the Americas such as Brazil, is a significant contributor to those efforts.”
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from the American Business Awards,” said James Kilsby, Chief Analyst, Vixio. “This award is a reflection of the trust our clients place in us and the incredible team at Vixio that brings clarity to such a complex and fast-moving global industry. As jurisdictions like Brazil evolve, our mission remains the same: to empower organizations with the intelligence they need to navigate compliance challenges confidently and responsibly.”
Stevie® judges praised Kilsby’s clear and actionable insights in an often opaque industry. One judge said: “James Kilsby has demonstrated exceptional thought leadership in the gambling compliance sector. His deep expertise in gambling regulations, particularly in emerging markets like Brazil, has positioned him as a key industry voice. His contributions include high-impact research, frequent media appearances, and direct influence on product innovation, notably with Vixio’s Technical Compliance Tool.”
Another judge added: “The gambling industry is often an opaque field where it is hard to understand what is and what is not allowed. James’s ability to provide clarity in this area and use that to support compliance and responsible gambling are commendable.”
More than 3,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories.
“Organizations across the United States continue to demonstrate resilience and innovation,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “The 2025 Stevie winners have helped drive that success through their innovation, persistence, and hard work. We congratulate all of the winners in the 2025 ABAs and look forward to celebrating their achievements during our June 10 gala event in New York.”
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 10.
Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2025 Stevie winners are available at StevieAwards.com/ABA.
To learn more about simplifying compliance management with Vixio’s award-winning regulatory intelligence solutions, visit vixio.com.
The post Vixio’s Chief Analyst James Kilsby Honored As Silver Stevie® Award Winner In 2025 American Business Awards® appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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