Renaissance PR: “We work with people, not brands”

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a decade since Stefano Petrullo formed Renaissance PR.

Petrullo was well known to the UK games industry back in 2015, primarily for handling PR for Ubisoft, which included promoting games like Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. He was well positioned to make the transition to being independent, but the rise of Renaissance in the years since has been nothing short of astounding.

It has had almost 100 clients in that time, ranging from giants like Atari, Plaion, Team17 and Tencent, to indie giants such as Bulkhead, Curve, and Square Enix Collective.

In 2023 alone, it promoted 150 titles via traditional PR, generating over 122,000 articles, which reached over 518 billion people. It also worked with content creators to promote 23 games, resulting in 3,600 videos and were viewed more than 38 million times.

The team now totals 12 employees and has been nominated this month for two MCV Awards in the Best PR Agency and Best Campaign category. Meanwhile, back in January it was acquired by global super agency 1SP, which allows the business to grow while retaining what makes Renaissance unique.

“1SP is made of 10 subsidiaries in 29 languages with 300 people to support the whole customer journey,” Petrullo explains. “But we also keep our identity and company culture allowing us to organically grow with the help of everyone else. This allows clients to spread their risk, costs and deliver great results, measurable from the really beginning.”

There are a few things that Petrullo feels makes Renaissance unique. There’s the passion about what they do – “Sometimes there’s too much,” he says. Then there’s the experience of the team spread across the US and UK, with everyone having at least six years behind them.

"I do not speak with Eurogamer, I speak with Chris, Tom, Zoe and so on"

And there’s the fact they are self-proclaimed “data driven addicts”. The team revealed that it sent nearly 550,000 emails last year, and sent out over 1,600 review keys to press and creators. The agency’s home is in Europe, so it’s no surprise that 66% of game mentions take place in European countries (with Germany, Italy, UK, Spain and France the biggest markets). But it has global reach, with 19% of mentioned in the US and nearly 11% in Latin America.

“Renaissance offers KPIs so you know what you are buying before signing a contract with us,” Petrullo tells us. “Our KPIs are based on coverage connected to the reach and being part of the marketing cog that can organically raise your wishlist numbers in preparation for a launch.”

But one of the key elements behind Renaissance’s rise to the top, Petrullo says, is how they work with the media and influencers. Specifically, it’s around the idea that they work with people, not brands.

“We have three divisions,” he says. “We have media, we have influencers and we have corporate communications. I believe media are incredibly important to set the tone, which influencers than amplify together with more mainstream media to validate. And I believe the best way to work with them is treating them like human beings. By that I mean, understanding that there is someone on the other side of this email and being humble. To do this job you have to be humble and ambitious at the same time. I do not speak with Eurogamer, I speak with Chris, Tom, Zoe and so on and I know I need the coverage more than Eurogamer needs me. It is about the story I have to tell. One thing I’ve learned, and I am never too tired to repeat, is we work with people not brands… Renaissance needs to make life easier for media, content creators and clients.”

Although Renaissance has had many high-profile clients, it is just as active supporting smaller teams and indie publishers, too. Discoverability remains a huge challenge in games, and Petrullo has some advice for those smaller businesses when it comes to PR.

“Listen to your agency,” he says. “Pick someone that knows what they do as they can really make the difference and -- please, please, please -- work with someone you trust and, while you challenge them, also listen. Pay for expertise not for time.

“And stop chasing the business model and data only. Those are incredible resources, but they need to be used to help make decisions not make those decisions for you.”

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to media coverage is getting publications to cover longer-tail and live-service games, and Petrullo says that’s where relationships with media are key. However, there needs to be something to say, such as live updates or initiatives that the PR team can use to leverage those relationships.

Petrullo offers advice like this freely, through press articles such as this one, and with regular talks at events across the industry. So naturally we had to ask him what he sees as crucial to a successful promotional campaign.

"Create a story and do not be a slave of assets"

“Coordinated campaigns between marketing, PR, influencers and community are all equally important. Start with your Discord, build up a community, engage the PR/Influencers organically… and do accurate marketing spending,” he begins.

“Create a story and do not be a slave of assets. Assets are what you use to illustrate your game, but there needs to be a message behind the. Releasing assets without messaging will not help you in the long run.

“And keep an eye on the data. We think the ‘less is more’ approach is better than sending a press release every week over every little detail. Because often this ends up being ignored, or dismissed by media who might just wait for the review, if at all.”

Despite Renaissance’s obvious success, Petrullo admits he has “massive and permanent imposter syndrome”. But his views on the games business and where it’s heading has weight and Renaissance’s results speak for itself. And the good news is that he remains broadly optimistic about where the games business is heading.

“I see a healthier market coming back and a stronger, yet more selective, industry,” he explains. “The big 2025 challenge is GTA, of course, and I believe we will see an increase in AAA releases. It won’t be as bad as 2023 but clearly more than what we are seeing in 2024. I also see a trend of more AA games due to the fact blockbuster production is becoming more and more unsustainable and big company seems to be less risk adverse.”

Renaissance is up for an MCV Award. You can vote for the PR agency here.