For the launch of HITMAN Freelancer, IO Interactive worked with Keymailer and Game.Press to run a managed press and influencer campaign across a 90-day window.
The campaign generated 23.9 million video views, with 1,220 influencers creating almost 5,000 videos across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Facebook Gaming. Press coverage also reached outlets with a combined estimated audience of 57 million monthly visitors.
Building a Platform-Focused Campaign
HITMAN Freelancer is a roguelike-inspired assassination mode for HITMAN World of Assassination, built around repeatable contracts, planning and improvisation.
IO Interactive wanted to encourage organic influencer coverage and press reviews while placing a particular focus on PlayStation creators. Partnier’s campaign team managed promotion, creator communication, activation-key distribution, request assessment, content tracking and reporting, reducing the workload placed on IO Interactive’s internal team.
Promotion combined high-visibility placements across Keymailer and Game.Press with creator newsletters, native social posts, press outreach, targeted scouting and direct gifting to major influencers.
Additional research outside the existing network identified PlayStation-focused creators whose content aligned with the game’s audience and genre. Together, these activities generated 173,000 influencer engagements and 3,360 inbound requests from creators and press contacts.
Each request was reviewed against the campaign brief, including platform fit, audience relevance and previous coverage. This helped turn high-volume interest into qualified participation, with 1,350 offers sent to the strongest matches.
23.9 Million Views and Global Coverage
The campaign resulted in:
- 1,220 influencers involved
- 4,940 videos created
- 23.9 million video views
- 50 dedicated press reviews, across 12 languages, with est. 57 million monthly reach
Platform-specific targeting also delivered a clear result. PlayStation accounted for 58% of all content created and 54% of total views, compared with an average of 15% for other campaigns launching during the same period.
Livestreams generated particularly deep engagement, producing 540,000 hours of watch time and an average viewing duration of 98 minutes.
Managed press outreach also secured a one-to-one interview between Eurogamer and IO Interactive management. Eurogamer subsequently produced an additional cosplay livestream that reached 20,000 viewers.
Observations
HITMAN Freelancer demonstrates how a managed campaign can turn activation keys into measurable global visibility while supporting specific platform objectives.
By combining promotion, targeted scouting, secure distribution and hands-on campaign management, Partnier helped IO Interactive generate broad creator-led coverage without requiring its internal team to manage thousands of individual interactions.
For publishers looking to scale launch visibility, Partnier brings the network, technology and campaign support together within one game marketing ecosystem.
Want to Know More?
Download the full Hitman: Freelancer case study for a detailed breakdown of the campaign, creator activation process, platform performance, and global coverage, or book a demo to see how Partnier can support your next launch.