"Western clients have stopped fainting at the proposal to engage with Russian media," says Nikolai Borzov of FatPony on the outcomes of 2025

We're continuing to wrap up 2025 with gaming (or gaming industry-related) teams. Up next is an interview with Nikolay Borzov, co-founder of the PR agency FatPony.

How was 2025 for your agency? Which areas developed most actively?

I think, like for everyone, 2025 was challenging, but we're pushing through. Our work with bloggers was quite successful, and we helped many Russian companies with promoting in the West, which is the complete opposite of our traditional "routes." We also saw an increase in requests from Asian clients. Among the projects from Asia were InZOI, Arknights: Endfield, and others.

How did the gaming PR market change this year—in terms of channels, approaches, and tools?

It seems there wasn't any drastic or striking change. The trend towards media consolidation remained. Everyone still desires influencers just as before (though there's a sort of bloodbath happening within this market, recall the scandals involving fake followers).

How has client interaction changed? Are there shifts in requests, budgets, communication formats?

As I mentioned earlier, we did well with Asian companies, and there's been an increase in demand for media placement and bloggers. Western clients have stopped being shocked at the suggestion of communicating with Russian media; on the contrary, they propose, invite, and want to engage.

What was crucial for a successful PR game launch this year? What strategies stopped working?

Nothing fundamentally new occurred. Good materials are still needed, primarily videos, alongside community engagement, Twitter, Reddit; short formats on all possible platforms have become very popular. However, a good product remains the most important element. If the game is good, it will find it significantly easier than a bad product with a huge budget.

What lessons from 2025 could be useful for studios planning releases in 2026?

Allocate time to creating promotional materials, plan ahead, lock in dates in advance, and don't postpone them. We've seen many times people "fuss about under the tap," which usually doesn't end well. Don't try to get something expensive for cheap. An ad bought for $500 won't be effective. It will go unnoticed by the user, but everyone else will know you're willing to pay and will draw conclusions when collaborating.

What tasks and plans does the agency set for 2026?

Become faster, higher, and stronger. We'll try to find more clients in Asia, strengthen our community department as we see demand for it, and try to focus more on media and influencers.