Discoverability is the industry’s “Achilles’ heel,” marketing survey finds

Creative comms and marketing agency Bastion has released its annual video games marketing survey, which reveals that discoverability is the biggest challenge publishers and developers expect to face this year.

Published on August 14, 2025, Bastion’s Annual G2M Video Games Marketing Survey 2025 asked 75 developers and publishers from across the globe questions about their company structure, games, and current approach to marketing, as well as the challenges they expect to face in the future.

“The world of games marketing isn’t just evolving, it’s accelerating,” G2M director Clare Hawkins said in the report. “Over the last 12 months, marketers have been asked to do more with less: tighter budgets, leaner teams, and a market bursting at the seams. Agility is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s vital to success.”

63.9% of the survey’s respondents were found to have more than a decade of publishing experience, but the same percentage only have marketing teams of one to five people.

“That’s a powerhouse of talent, stretched razor thin,” noted Hawkins.

Marketing team sizes remain somewhat stable, with 44.4% of companies saying their team size remains “unchanged,” while 33.3% decreased and 22.2% increased. The report notes that “significantly less” of this sample have increased their team size compared to the nearly 40% increase we saw in 2024.

The majority (44.4%) of companies are still “undecided” on whether they’ll be hiring for their market team in the next 12 months, with 40% outright saying “no.”

Agency spending, however, has increased, with the majority (38.9%) of respondents answering that their company has increased agency spending over the last year. “Significantly less” marketers are decreasing agency spend, too, with 27.8% of respondents saying they had done so – a 14.2% drop compared to last year.

33.3% of respondents revealed they aren’t changing their agency spend, 13% more than in 2024.

When asked if they felt their “current budget is adequate to meet your marketing objectives,” only 36.1% of respondents said yes – dropping from 60% in 2024.

Elsewhere, the report found that 81% of respondents have a marketing budget under £500,000 for major titles, a 17.7% increase from last year.

More of this year’s survey sample produced AA and AAA games (28.8% and 15.1%, respectively), but only 5.4% had a typical marketing budget between £500,000 and £750,000, while 13.5% had a budget over £1 million. The report notes this suggests “more of these game types have experienced budget restrictions over the last 12 months.”

The survey also found that 31% of companies saw discoverability as their biggest challenge last year, and 94.4% believe it will remain the biggest over the next 12 months. Hawkins described it as “the industry’s Achilles’ heel.”

“Discoverability still tops the list – but it’s no longer just about being seen,” said Bastion managing director Ravi Vijh. “It’s about owning the spotlight in an overcrowded market.”

When it comes to marketing channels, the majority (25%) of respondents believe organic influencer marketing is the most effective. Whereas, in 2024, Paid Media (which is now seen as the least effective) and Paid Influencer were the most popular.

“The data suggests a shift towards more organic and community-led content over the last 12 months,” the report notes.

“The games industry is shifting fast – budgets are tighter, competition’s fiercer, and the fight for attention has never been tougher,” said Vijh. “Our latest marketing survey reveals a clear picture: the challenges are universal, and so are the moves that get results.”

“The one-size-fits-all playbook? Dead,” Vijh continued. “From influencer partnerships to Steam events to how studios show up on LinkedIn – the rule is simple: authenticity wins. With teams under pressure, marketers are turning to trusted agency partners to deliver bold, performance-driven creative at scale.”