[Industry news] Game If You Are celebrates 10 years of indie games marketing with rebrand and Indie Friendly Initiative

This is a press release posted in addition to our usual editorial content.

Marking 10 years of providing indie game developers and publishers with key marketing and creative support, Game If You Are is today celebrating with a fresh brand overhaul and a new initiative intended to provide indies with a low cost way to promote their games in the current market.

Established in 2016 by indie marketing specialist and former games developer and journalist Lewis Denby, Game If You Are is an agency aimed squarely at providing meaningful marketing and creative support for all – from indie publishers with big ambitions, to budget-restricted, one-to-two-person teams with nothing but a self-made game and an incredible passion. At the time of GIYA’s conception, marketing was largely accessible only to big budget publishers and AAA titles; GIYA wanted to make sure all independent developers and publishers had their chance to get in front of the right audiences.

The most recent decade has seen Game If You Are offering marketing and creative support to games like Bear and Breakfast, Hauntii, Not For Broadcast and Andrew Gower’s Brighter Shores, as well as to indie publishers like Atari, tinyBuild and Amplified Games. They have since broadened their horizons even further, taking on projects in the ever-growing indie TTRPG market with companies including Hero Forge. The connective tissue between every project GIYA has worked on is the shared belief both from the creators and Game If You Are that they were deserving of an audience.

It’s no secret that the past ten years have seen a momentous shift in the games industry; with more indie games on storefronts than ever before the marketing landscape is now fiercely competitive. Still, Game If You Are has maintained its resolve to help indie developers and studios find an audience, adapting and evolving its suite of services as needed. In line with this ethos to make games marketing more accessible and approachable, GIYA’s in-house creative team has given the agency a whole new warm and welcoming appearance, and the marketing team has introduced the Indie Friendly Initiative – a new line of budget-friendly off-the-shelf products designed for indie developers working to even the smallest budgets.

GIYA takes pride in providing clients with bespoke, specially-tailored marketing plans and creative work that are perfectly matched to their game’s identity and target audience. No two games are the same, therefore no two marketing campaigns should ever look alike.

However, with some developers working on razor-thin budgets, the Indie Friendly Initiative is a way for indies to see the quickest win for the smallest investment. It features ready-made guides to provide smaller teams with the resources and information they need to execute their own in-house PR and influencer marketing.

Available now, the Indie Friendly Initiative is part of a wider campaign seeking to tackle the decline of indie games coverage in the media, as well as combatting the ever-increasing costs of marketing in the current climate.

Headed by indie-PR-specialist Ria Winton, this initiative has already seen over a hundred members of the press sign up to be a part of an ‘indie friendly’ press list – journalists who share a passion for this corner of the gaming world and a dedication to giving indies the best chance at success.

The team at Game If You Are hope that this new line of products will pave the way for greater opportunities for even the smallest of developers, and will continue to nurture and develop the initiative as they have the business as a whole.

Reflecting on the last 10 years and looking toward the future, Game If You Are’s Client Services Director Lewis Denby said:
“In ten years working in the indie game marketing space, we’ve seen a tremendous change in the landscape. In 2016, several thousand games hit storefronts; in 2026, it’s going to be tens of thousands. Our mission statement – to help ambitious indies cut through the noise and find their audience – has never been more important. With our shiny new look and projects like the Indie Friendly Initiative, we’re reaffirming our commitment to helping indies find their players. As always, we’re game, if you are.”

For further information, images, or to arrange an interview with Game If You Are, please contact Ria Winton at ria@gameifyouare.com.