| Project | Robot Raiders |
|---|---|
| Studio | Mattorigus Studios |
| Role | Creative Director |
| Disciplines | Marketing Strategy, Paid Advertising, Video Production, Branding, Event Marketing, Crowdfunding |
| Scope | Meta ad campaigns, video content, livestreams, event banners, Kickstarter campaign |
| Marketing Results | 4,056 advertising clicks, 15.77% landing page conversion rate, £4.76 average cost per lead |
| Status | Physical release discontinued, digital version currently in development |
Robot Raiders is a fantasy-themed, asymmetrical strategy game developed by Mattorigus Studios for one to four players. As Creative Director, I led its marketing alongside its visual identity, from paid advertising and video content to event displays and the Kickstarter campaign.
I approached marketing as an extension of the creative direction. The aim was to communicate the experience of playing the game, rather than simply advertising a collection of cards.
This case study focuses on marketing and audience development. For the visual identity and art direction, see the main Robot Raiders case study.
The Challenge
Make an independent strategy game feel like a premium trading card game, and find the people who would want to play it.
With more than 5,000 possible combinations of upgrades, loot and augments, Robot Raiders had a lot of depth. The challenge was making that depth immediately appealing to potential players, with the budget of an independent studio.
We wanted the product to feel substantial, collectible and visually exciting, rather than simply looking like a conventional boxed board game.
Brand Identity
I designed the Mattorigus Studios logo, helping establish a consistent visual identity for the studio alongside the game. That identity carried through the game itself, its promotional materials and its wider marketing presence.
Paid Advertising & Creative Testing
I researched successful advertising approaches within tabletop gaming, then developed and tested multiple advertising creatives across Meta platforms, using A/B testing to understand which visual approaches generated the strongest engagement.
One of the more interesting findings was that showing actual cards performed particularly well with tabletop and card game audiences. However, more character-focused creative also attracted a strong response from tabletop roleplaying communities, particularly Dungeons & Dragons players.
This helped identify different audience segments and demonstrated that Robot Raiders could appeal beyond the traditional board game demographic.
Campaign Results
Across the campaign, we achieved:
- 4,056 advertising clicks
- 15.77% average landing page conversion rate
- £4.76 average cost per lead
- Over 50% of landing page converters signing up to the mailing list
- 18% further engaging by joining the Discord community
Top-Performing Creatives
Some of the strongest-performing creatives included:
| Creative | Cost per lead | Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Ad 1 | £3.09 | 27.69% |
| Fire Rain | £3.24 | 25.00% |
| Podcast #1 | £5.58 | 23.17% |
| Room 4 | £2.42 | 21.50% |
| Meta Ad 4 | £4.24 | 19.23% |
| Mage | £3.31 | 18.97% |
The Room 4 creative achieved the lowest cost per lead among these examples, while the general card-focused advertising approach helped establish a clear connection between the product and its intended audience.
Testing also informed how we presented the game during the crowdfunding campaign, with a stronger emphasis on actual gameplay and physical components.
Video Production & Content
Alongside paid advertising, I developed a content strategy designed to give the project a more personal presence. For an independent game studio, showing the people behind the product can be just as valuable as showcasing the product itself.
I filmed and edited developer diaries, promotional videos and gameplay content, working alongside Matt to document the game’s development.
Developer Diaries
A series of videos introducing Robot Raiders, explaining its mechanics and giving viewers insight into the development process.
Animated Launch Trailer
I collaborated with Little Devil Company and composer Joshua Ginsberg to produce an animated launch trailer, bringing the game’s characters and visual identity together in a more cinematic presentation.
Livestreams
I created layouts, graphics and thumbnails for livestreams, helping establish a consistent presentation across live demonstrations and community events.
Social Media
During our Northern Tour, I documented visits to several tabletop stores across the north of the UK, capturing real people playing the game and interacting with the product. Watch the Northern Tour video on TikTok.
This content helped humanise the studio and gave prospective players a glimpse of the experience beyond the advertising campaign.
Physical Marketing & Events
Robot Raiders needed to make an impression in physical spaces as well as online. I designed large-format promotional banners showcasing the game’s characters and visual identity, suitable for events, demonstrations and retail environments.
These were primarily used during the Northern Tour, where we visited several stores across the north of the UK to introduce the game to tabletop communities. The banners also became backdrops for in-studio content, connecting the online campaign with real-world player engagement.
Kickstarter Campaign
The crowdfunding campaign brought the visual identity, gameplay and marketing work together into a single product presentation. I designed the Kickstarter page, developing its layout, graphics and supporting content.
Our initial approach borrowed more heavily from digital game marketing, using character splash artwork to introduce the world and its characters.
As the campaign developed, and informed by what we’d learned from ad testing, we shifted towards a more product-focused presentation. The revised page placed greater emphasis on actual card artwork, physical components and a comprehensive How to Play section, giving visitors a clearer understanding of what they would receive and how the game worked.
The campaign initially succeeded, but rising manufacturing costs and newly imposed US tariffs created an unexpected challenge. Rather than passing those additional costs on to backers, we made the decision to cancel the original campaign and reconsider the manufacturing approach.
Outcome
The marketing demonstrated genuine audience interest in Robot Raiders, and the advertising results provided valuable insight into how different creative approaches and communities responded to the game.
Although the physical version never reached production, the audience, the mailing list, the Discord community and the lessons from testing remain a foundation for the next chapter: Robot Raiders is now continuing as a digital game.
Reflection
Robot Raiders challenged me to think beyond the visual presentation of a product and consider how creative direction could support audience development, commercial positioning and community engagement.
The most useful lesson was how much testing can sharpen creative decisions. Seeing which creatives connected with which communities changed how we presented the game, from our ads through to the Kickstarter page.
For me, marketing works best when it grows out of the creative identity rather than being added afterwards: showing people what a game feels like to play, and who is making it.