An interview with Striking Distance Studios Sales & BD Dept.’s Blake Hennon
Charmed by the incredible opportunities in the video game industry, Blake Hennon has devoted more than 20 years to game publishing. Now as the head of sales and business development at Striking Distance Studios (SDS), he’s working closely with his colleagues at SDS and KRAFTON for a global go-to-market plan for the upcoming survival horror game The Callisto Protocol as the title is going to be launched globally on Dec. 2. Keep reading to learn more about his ideas on user acquisition strategies and global video game markets.
Could you briefly introduce yourself to the KRAFTON Blog readers?
My name is Blake Hennon and I’m the head of Sales Business Development Department at Striking Distance Studios (SDS). I’ve been working in gaming for just about twenty years and have been fortunate to play a role in some huge hits in my career in publishing.
I worked with PlayStation on launching God of War and Ratchet & Clank, I worked at Activision launching Call of Duty titles, Guitar Hero, and World of Warcraft. I worked at Warner Bros and launched Batman Arkham Asylum and Mortal Kombat.
While launching blockbuster games is always rewarding, I love my job the most when I get to work closely with development teams to make our games a success together.
What are your roles and responsibilities at SDS?
During my two-and-a-half years at SDS I’ve led our work with sales channels, partnerships and transmedia opportunities for our first game, The Callisto Protocol (TCP). I’ve been lucky to work with many parts of the KRAFTON organization as we have prepared for our launch in December.
Could you introduce us the department you’re leading and the colleagues you’re working with?
I manage physical and digital sales channels and work closely with other members of the publishing team at SDS and KRAFTON. Kevin Kimball is the vice president of marketing at SDS, and we partnered to put together a global go-to-market plan for TCP. We worked closely with KRAFTON’s Game Production & Media Expansion Division and Publishing Group during the past two years of planning. We expect to continue to work incredibly close with KRAFTON to publish all of the studio’s titles in the future.
“Video games are an incredible medium,
because they truly are at the intersection of art, technology, and entertainment
– three areas I’ve always been passionate about during my working career.”
When and how did you join SDS? And why did you choose video game business?
I joined SDS in June of 2020 at the beginning of the COVID lockdowns. I’ve worked for years in the video game business and was excited to join SDS because I’m passionate about working closely with the creators in the development studio. Working directly with the developers and understanding their vision is what allows us to understand our players, and ultimately be more effective at selling the game. Video games are an incredible medium because they truly are at the intersection of art, technology, and entertainment – three areas I’ve always been passionate about during my working career.
What was the most rewarding moment working in SDS so far?
Our TCP launch date announcement and partnership with PlayStation in early June has been the most rewarding moment so far. We secured incredible support from PlayStation and made an announcement that excited and engaged horror gamers around the world.
What do you think are the biggest charms of the game industry?
Wow, this one is tough as the game industry has lots of incredible opportunities. One thing I think is charming about the industry is how much power the players have. We can innovate with graphics, rendering, and gameplay, but if we can’t connect with players, they will vote with their wallets. Players are very quick to tell us what they think, and it’s important that we’re always listening. This is in contrast to other industries that must be much more careful in pushing technological boundaries.
“If we can’t connect with players,
they will vote with their wallets.”
Based on your previous experiences, what do you think is important in the early-stage sales/user acquisition strategy in this industry?
The most critical aspect of early-stage user acquisition (UA) strategy is to first understand the consumer motivations for playing your game. If you don’t know what keeps them engaged or garners an emotional response from the gamer, you won’t know what message, gameplay feature or visuals to implement in game or share with them out of game. This is accomplished through consumer insights with gamers around the world and usability testing with gamers outside of KRAFTON or its studios.
The player acquisition channels, and the frequency of messaging will vary by platform, but understanding their motivations is always mandatory.
What’s your expectations and prospects on the Asian games market (Korean and Japanese in particular)?
Korea and Japan are both unique. Korean gamers will see little distinction between a mobile and PC game as mobile devices catch PCs in performance. Japan will continue to grow but Japanese gamers will stay on console longer than most markets globally. China and India both offer incredible opportunities, particularly in high quality mobile experiences.
Do you personally like “horror” contents? If so, could you name one or two that you enjoyed in the past?
I love horror content. In particular, I like the Aliens movies, I’m a huge fan of The Walking Dead franchise, and love the director Jordan Peele. I also loved Last Train to Busan and Kingdom.
TCP is available in three different editions. In particular, the Collector’s Edition comes with various “collectible” stuffs. Could you introduce what are included in this very special, exclusive edition to our readers?
Not just the game, the Collector’s Edition includes Retro Prisoner Character Skin, 2 Retro Prisoner Weapon Skins, Contraband Pack (which is PlayStation exclusive), a Season Pass, Steelbook Case, TCP Comic #0 Edition, Outer Way Collectible Pin, UJC Collectible Pin, and the 48-hour Advance Access to Story DLC (which also is PlayStation exclusive). In particular, the Jacob Statue included in this edition is phenomenal.
Last question. What do you want to achieve while working in Striking Distance Studios? And what’s your personal goal?
In the short term, our goal is to ensure that TCP launches successfully on December 2 and is one of the top horror games on the PC, PlayStation 5/4, and Xbox X/S. Personally, I’m focused on delivering the commercial success of TCP and planning for future publishing projects with KRAFTON and SDS. I’m very excited about the future.
Read more about
The Callisto Protocol and Striking Distance Studios
at KRAFTON Blog
