Overview 

Mobile game developer Uglysoft approached us to help with the global launch of its satirical iOS/Android game Dear Leader. Entirely tongue-in-cheek, Dear Leader casts players as Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il, and other familiar characters on a quest to thwart the demonic threat. Big Games Machine was also tasked with coming up and executing a creative campaign to drive even more awareness of the game beyond the traditional mobile games media.

Client

Uglysoft

Project

Dear Leader

Platform

iOS & Android

What we did

Launch PR

What we did

  • Developed a creative campaign to support the launch of the game, dubbed Operation: Toilet Paper. (See the section below)
  • Extensive playtesting and feedback reports helping shape the final quality of the game
  • Wrote two comedic press releases, including one announcing the game as if it was a memo sent by a North Korean official on behalf of the Government, complete with a North Korean government emblem and an edited video of Kim Jong-un announcing the game
  • Outreach to over 600 traditional and mobile games media including Touch Arcade, 148Apps, Pocket Gamer and Pocket Tactics for both reviews and contributed content, such as tips guides and walkthroughs. The news was also uploaded to relevant mobile and games newswires
  • Drip-fed satirical videos to the media.

They loved our announcement !

“It’s our job to separate the news from the marketing bumf, but sometimes, a press release is too good not to share in its entirety. Enter Dear Leader…….honestly? The game could be absolute bollocks – we really have no idea – but the press release certainly got our attention here at Thumbsticks Towers.” – Thumbsticks 

We’re not one to brag but we rarely (if ever) see journalists writing about press releases. But Thumbsticks liked the press release we sent them so much that they felt compelled to share it with their readers.

You can read the article here

Operation Toilet Paper

We planned and executed a creative campaign targeted at 20 journalists from top publications, including IGN, Eurogamer, Gamespot and others. 

Each journalist was sent a package containing a letter – complete with a scanned signature – stating that they had been invited to take part in a secret initiative called the Journalist Union of North Korea (J.U.N.K); An exclusive VIP tour of Pyongyang which includes a trip to a lubricant production plant. Our package also contained Trump-branded toilet paper “from the Supreme Leader’s own personal supply”. We packaged the items and letters so that they looked like they had come from a North Korean official, meaning envelopes each had “Top Secret”, North Korean mail and custom DPRK Workers party stamps.

For the campaign follow-up, we created a fictitious email domain, with a call-to-action for each journalist to email that account if they’d like to take part in the initiative. We then monitored all journalists social media activity for coverage and initial reactions to receiving this package on channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To respond to coverage and reactions, we created and ran a fake Twitter account called Yo Kung (the name of the fake government contact from the letter).

The Results

  • Secured reviews from dedicated mobile and non-mobile game sites such as Droid Gamers, Android World and Cubed3
  • Featured in The Mirror – the UK’s second-highest circulated newspaper
  • A featuring on high-traffic website Heavy with a top 10 tips guide for new players
"Dear Leader has diverse gameplay and it can keep you occupied for a long time”

"Dear Leader has diverse gameplay and it can keep you occupied for a long time”

"Spot on for a satire...fans of dark comedy should appreciate it"

"Spot on for a satire...fans of dark comedy should appreciate it"

"Lets players take over the world as the North Korean dictator... exactly what you think it is"

"Lets players take over the world as the North Korean dictator... exactly what you think it is"

"The game could be absolute bollocks… but somebody deserves a pat on the back for that mailshot"

"The game could be absolute bollocks… but somebody deserves a pat on the back for that mailshot"