Physical Gaming’s Future in a Digital World | Alena Alambeigi from Limited Run Games

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out at pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Alena from Limited Run Games, VP of Marketing and Digital Publishing with them. How are you doing today, Alena?

Alena Alambeigi: Doing good. Hey, how are you?

Ernesto: I’m doing great. Thank you so much for asking. Interested? I mean, I’m a gamer, so definitely interested in learning a little bit more, and I’m sure our listeners are as well. In your own words, Alena, let’s kick it off with that. Can you tell us a little bit more about what Limited Run Games is all about?

Alena: Yeah, so Limited Run Games kind of started out predominantly as a physical game publisher. What we did was help developers who would otherwise have a digital-only game make their game physical. Now we’ve grown to spin off a bunch of other initiatives like video game books, digital publishing, and even developing our own in-house engine that helps emulate or port old retro games onto modern consoles.

Ernesto: Okay, great, that’s great to hear. So what would you say is typically something that you guys like to focus on for your clients? What is it that you guys like to give to your clients, if I could say that?

Alena: Limited Run solved a couple of issues, and I would say we’re a disruptor in the industry. Basically, our business model is to create physical products but only manufacture to demand. Everyone from small indie developers to AAA publishers partners with us. Overproduction of physical products was a huge problem in the industry—expensive and often leading to leftover stock. We manufacture based on pre-orders and handle everything, including creative work, collector’s editions, and production. Now, we’re also moving into digital, funding unique games that other publishers wouldn’t fund, and bringing back retro titles that are hard to find or play.

Ernesto: Definitely. That retro niche is a good one. Talking about niches or verticals, is there a certain type of client that you guys like to target?

Alena: Targeting can be complex for us. On the surface, it’s gamers, but it depends on the product. Most of our customers are collectors or people who value owning physical media. They understand that digital storefronts don’t offer permanent ownership—licenses can be revoked, or stores can shut down, like with the 3DS and Wii. It can be tricky to target some groups, like fans of obscure Japanese games, but we use data from our website to guide us.

Ernesto: How does somebody usually find out about Limited Run Games? What would you say is a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Alena: Most of it is organic through social media and word of mouth. Limited Run grew through people discovering a physical version of a game they love. For instance, when we released Jack and Daxter collector’s editions, fans of that series found us through that.

Ernesto: Perfect. For our listeners, you can check them out at limitedrungames.com. What role does the website play for client acquisition?

Alena: As an e-commerce, predominantly direct-to-consumer business, the website is everything. It’s where we showcase products, offer newsletter signups, and soon, SMS alerts to help people not miss out. Optimizing the website is key for us.

Ernesto: Great stuff. Let’s switch gears a little bit, Alena, and talk about you as the VP of Marketing and Digital Publishing. What are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Alena: Right now, my main focus is on getting our digital products out there. This involves PR for digital products, distributing keys to influencers and media, and coming up with creative ways to market them, including paid ads.

Ernesto: Awesome. Let’s move on to our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready for them?

Alena: Yep.

Ernesto: Great. First off, what is the last book that you read?

Alena: Instead of the last book, I’ll share one of the best books I’ve read for business—Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman. I recommend it to anyone managing or running a business.

Ernesto: Great read! What is one single thing your company is focused on at the moment?

Alena: Refining our customer experience—getting shipping times down and ensuring an overall great shopping experience.

Ernesto: If there were no boundaries in technology, what would be one thing you’d want fixed for your role as a marketer today?

Alena: Finding quality influencers to promote our games. Current tools are either too expensive or don’t work as well as we need them to.

Ernesto: What’s one repetitive task you’d love to automate?

Alena: Delivering game keys. It’s currently a mix of manual work and automation, but if there were one unified way to deliver keys and track media coverage, that’d be ideal.

Ernesto: What’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were to restart your journey as a marketer?

Alena: Find a mentor and pay close attention to successful marketers. Learn from real-world examples rather than just blogs and videos. It’s important to think outside the box.

Ernesto: Great advice! Alena, thanks so much for being on the show. If someone forgets everything about this interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about Limited Run Games?

Alena: We’re dedicated to preserving retro games and putting out unique, interesting content. Check us out for something special!

Ernesto: You heard it, everyone! Check them out at limitedrungames.com. Alena, thanks so much for being with us. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in, and we look forward to the next episode of Pathmonk Presents. Thanks, Alena!

Alena: Thank you!