The games and tech industries have gone through so many layoffs over the past few years, it's hard to keep up. This is a result of many ongoing factors, including inflated numbers post-pandemic, AI, rising development costs, and more.
This also impacted journalists. There's fewer outlets with fewer journalists, many of which aren't paid as full-time jobs. Add in corporate restructuring, short-form video content, and the rise of influencers since the the pandemic, working with journalists just isn't the same as it used to be and the industry has to change.
But they haven't.
Now, you'll need to reach out to outlets earlier than you previously did just to make sure they have time to work with you or maybe they can pass you along to another writer who may have the time. Outlets are also concerned with clicks and making ad revenue. What's hot and making the news around the gaming and tech sphere? Is there a controversy going on? Did a publisher decide to back-peddle on a previous announcement? Whatever it may be, daily news hits are sometimes going to take over a pitch you sent on a random Tuesday.
With less writers and less time, reviews may take longer or may not be an option at all for some outlets. Timing also comes into play. If you haven't noticed, this year's Summer Game Fest showed us how impactful a AAA game can be when it comes to disrupting the industry (GTA!).
But this is where it's most important. Journalists get fed hundred of pitches a day, whether it be to their personal inbox or a shared tips inbox with the rest of the team. Sending a pitch for a general game update isn't really newsworthy anymore, but you'd be surprised how many times stories like that get pitched.
PR specialists need to be more strategic about what's being pitched, when, and how in order to continue getting coverage in their respective spaces. If there's no adjustment, coverage for certain projects just may never come to fruition.