Partnership proposal

RLC x Hear My Cult

A marketing partner for the road to launch.

Marketing consulting, strategy and managed playtests now, with creator and media support as the game develops.

Prepared for: Stefano Artuffo
Date: November 12, 2026
Release: January 2028 (tentative)
Developer: Frogtrain

Hear My Cult official Steam key art with the game title

What we plan around

Your goal: a dedicated niche audience that grows over time, ahead of first-week sales.

No sales or concurrent player target. You keep full production control, and we help the right players find the game and keep coming back.

01 / Working relationship

Not an agency. Not a megaphone. An embedded partner.

Your marketing partner, from here.

We're going to work with you on the marketing decisions ahead: positioning, pricing, release timing and how we test the game. You keep control of development. We handle the research, planning and playtest admin.

We'll start with consulting and closed tests, then plan public updates and outreach around what the game is ready to show.

I've worked directly with developers, media and creators on Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Gray Zone Warfare. We're going to take that same hands-on approach to Hear My Cult.

Marketing consulting
Strategy & planning
Managed playtests
Creator & media support
Steam readiness
Reporting

Roadmap

How we'd start, and where we'd go.

Now / Late 2026
Consulting and planning
Positioning, pricing research, release-window options and a shared marketing plan.
Through 2027
Closed tests and improvements
Plan each wave, manage feedback and retest changes with you.
As the build is ready
Public demos and updates
Give players a reason to return, with creator and media support scoped around worthwhile milestones.
January 2028 / Tentative
Launch support
Coordinate the agreed launch plan, Steam readiness and creator and media activity.
After launch / 2028 and beyond
Updates and continued support
Review player feedback, plan meaningful updates and bring creators back when there's something new.

A working outline. Timing follows the build, and we agree each phase together.

How we'd position it

Lead with the army. Save the mystery.

01
Combat
02
Minion armies
03
Rituals and sacrifices
04
Build experimentation
05
The apartment mystery, once you approve spoilers

We'd avoid selling it as a Vampire Survivors clone or a conventional strategy game. Better reference points are minion command like Overlord (opens in new tab) and necromancer ARPG builds, such as this Last Epoch minion build guide (opens in new tab). You mentioned Mortal Sin (opens in new tab) and Death Trash (opens in new tab) as examples of niche games that grew over time. We'd use them for that, not as mechanical comparisons.

02 / Marketing consulting

Clear decisions, so you can keep building.

You asked for independent advice on pricing, release timing and positioning. We'd research each one, bring you options with the evidence behind them, and decide together. Nothing below is a recommendation yet; it's the work we'd do with you.

Audience positioning
Who Hear My Cult is for and how to describe it, so the Steam page, tests and later outreach all say the same thing. You approve the wording.
Pricing research
Comparable games, their base prices, discounts, editions and bundles, and how the market is changing. You get options with evidence, so the price isn't a guess.
Release-window planning
A calendar of competing releases and industry events, weighed against build readiness. January 2028 stays tentative until we review it together.
Steam readiness
Store page messaging, demo and playtest setup, and help through Steam's launch process and approvals, while you keep production control.
Living marketing plan
One shared plan with priorities, owners and the decisions still open, updated as the game develops.
Test wave strategy
When to run closed waves, what each should answer, and when a public test or demo update is worth doing.

Planned deliverables

Positioning summary for your approval
Comparable pricing, edition and bundle research
Release-window and event calendar
Steam page review and launch checklist
Living marketing plan with owners and decisions
Closed and public test wave plan

How the plan stays organized

Anonymized marketing plan example

Command Center

RLC | MARKETING COMMAND CENTER

Strategy and planning decisions | Illustrative example

Start here. Jump to the , , or .

EXECUTIVE STATUS

Launch target

To be agreed

Product readiness

Build review pending

Next milestone

Closed test

Decisions open

See approval list

TOP DECISIONS | THIS WEEK / NEXT, illustrative entries
	#	Approval / dependency	Evidence	Due	Status	Assigned person	Next action	Record
8	1	Agree audience and positioning	Comparable set, store page review	Before test	Pending	Agreed together	Review draft positioning	Decisions
9	2	Confirm current build scope	Build notes from developer	Before test	Pending	Developer	Share build notes	Readiness gates
10	3	Approve test objectives	Draft survey and goals	Before test	Planned	RLC	Circulate draft objectives	Playtest waves
11	4	Choose comparable set	Shortlist with criteria	This week	Research	RLC	Finish shortlist notes	Pricing and editions
12	5	Review release-window shortlist	Calendar scan	After wave 1	Research	RLC	Add alternatives	Launch calendar
13	6	Approve Steam messaging	Copy draft, approved claims list	Before public update	Planned	Developer	Draft store copy	Steam plan
14	7	Agree next wave	Wave 1 report	After fixes	Planned	Agreed together	Schedule review call	Playtest waves

LAUNCH MILESTONES | INTERNAL TARGETS AND EXTERNAL DEADLINES, illustrative entries
	When	Milestone	Type	Dependency	Readiness	Assigned person	Source / rule	Reference
18	Before test	Test build locked	Internal target	Build scope agreed	Pending	Developer	Working target	Readiness gates
19	Before test	Guide and survey ready	Internal target	Objectives approved	Planned	RLC	Working target	Playtest waves
20	After wave 1	Report and priority fixes	Internal target	Survey responses	Planned	RLC	Working target	Playtest waves
21	After fixes	Retest wave	Internal target	Fixes shipped	Planned	Agreed together	Working target	Playtest waves
22	Before public update	Store page review	External deadline	Assets and copy final	To verify	Developer	Check current platform rules	Steam plan
23	Before public update	Event or festival entry	External deadline	Event chosen	To verify	Agreed together	Check organiser dates	Launch calendar
24	Near release	Release-window review	Internal target	Readiness gates passed	Research	Agreed together	Working target	Decisions

READINESS GATES, illustrative entries
	Gate	Evidence required	Approval	Current read	If gate fails	Assigned person	Target	Reference
28	Current build scope	Build notes, known issues	Developer	Review pending	Revise build or test scope	Developer	Before test	Decisions
29	Closed test	Stable build, guide, survey	Agreed together	Planned	Move the wave	RLC	Before test	Playtest waves
30	Public demo	Retest shows key friction fixed	Agreed together	Not started	Retest, hold public update	Agreed together	After fixes	Playtest waves
31	Store messaging	Claims match current build	Developer	Draft	Update approved claims	RLC	Before public update	Steam plan
32	Release timing	Readiness plus calendar scan	Developer	Research	Revisit window	Agreed together	Near release	Launch calendar

Recreated from an RLC planning workbook. Client details removed; entries are illustrative. Swipe the sheet sideways on a phone, or expand it.

03 / Managed playtests

Managed playtests. Better feedback, without the weeks of admin.

You mentioned spending weeks working through feedback from about 30 participants. We'd take on the admin and the first pass of analysis, so you get a prioritized list and more time to build.

Closed tests come first, so you can experiment with mechanics and fix problems away from the public. After fixes, a retest shows whether the changes worked. A public demo update comes later, once the build is ready and the improvements are worth showing. That can bring players back and support wishlists, though we can't guarantee either.

Agreed managed playtest waves are included in the marketing partnership. A standalone managed playtest is also available.

Monster Fantasy key art with the full game title

Managed playtest for Jotyo

Two managed playtest waves

RLC managed two Monster Fantasy playtest waves. The results below are from Wave 2 only.

Players with 30+ minutes: 160; Players with 30+ minutes
Completed surveys: 149; Completed surveys
Survey completion: 93.1%; Survey completion
Average play time: 119 MIN; Average play time

Managed playtest for Refractive Entertainment

Luminary

Players supported from first access to feedback.

We handled player recruitment, onboarding and access, live support, surveys, and feedback for the developer.

Completed onboarding: 305; Completed onboarding
Played at least 1 minute: 215; Played at least 1 minute
Completed the 30-question survey: 86; Completed the 30-question survey
Onboarding-to-player conversion: 70%; Onboarding-to-player conversion

You bring the build. We run the playtest.

We handle recruitment, qualification, onboarding, player support, feedback and reporting. A dedicated playtest channel in your Discord gives players a place to connect and helps grow your community.

01
Plan
02
Recruit
03
Qualify
04
Onboard
05
Play
06
Collect feedback
07
Analyze
08
Report
09
Next build

One controlled wave or multiple coordinated waves. Controlled closed playtests are the core service, and public playtests and Steam demos are supported when the timing is right.

For Hear My Cult

Recruitment
Playtester.io is our planned recruitment channel, screened for players who enjoy summoner builds, ARPG minions and roguelites. player.gg, which we used on Monster Fantasy and Luminary, stays available if a wave needs more players.
Guide, access and onboarding
A clear playtest guide covering controls, time slowdown, elements and known issues, with Steam playtest or key access set up for each wave.
Discord support
A dedicated playtest channel in your Discord, where we answer questions, collect bug reports and keep players engaged.
Reports
Focused surveys, then a report that ranks friction by how often and how badly it hurts, so you skip the weeks of reading raw replies.
Retests
Returning testers check the next build, so you can see whether the changes worked.

Playtester.io Planned recruitment channel

player.gg Used on Monster Fantasy and Luminary

Preview images are each site's own sharing image, checked November 12, 2026.

Monster Fantasy intelligence report screenshot — Monster Fantasy media, creator and community report (RLC example)View report (opens in new tab)

Monster Fantasy pre-alpha preview guide screenshot — Monster Fantasy pre-alpha preview guide (RLC example)View guide (opens in new tab)

Two internal team impressions, November 11, 2026

Initial feedback from the RLC team

Thaddeus and Keith are RLC team members, not recruited testers. Thaddeus played about 3.2 hours and Keith about 1 hour. This is a limited sample, so we draw no conclusions about players in general.

Observed

Both liked the visuals, the dark humor, minion combat and how the environment responds.
Thaddeus was motivated by building his army, unlocking abilities and trying new builds.
Both reported key remapping problems that needed a restart, and trouble with the equipment menu.
The link between the first-person apartment and the combat needs a clearer introduction. Their exposure to it was limited.

What we'd plan next

A focused closed test with recruited players to see which findings hold up.
A report that ranks friction, starting with remapping and the equipment menu.
A retest once changes are in, with a returning tester cohort.
Build and army spotlights to keep testers and creators engaged.

Read the detailed feedback

Bringing players back

A niche audience grows when people have reasons to return. Each test and update should give them one.

Returning tester cohorts who see their feedback acted on
Updates with a clear reason to come back, such as a new element or build
Creators revisiting the game when improvements are meaningful
Longer-term expansion opportunities, only if you choose to pursue them

04 / Creator support, later

Give the right creators a reason to stay.

When Hear My Cult reaches a meaningful public milestone, such as an updated demo or launch readiness, we can scope a creator campaign together. The examples below show how we'd run it. None of it starts automatically under the partnership.

We'll reconnect with creators who have already played Hear My Cult and find new ones through summoner builds, minion command games and dark fantasy roguelites. We'll review their videos, streams and audience response, then tailor the pitch to the content they make.

We'll handle personal emails, DMs and follow-up, and bring creators back when an update gives them something new to show. A scoped campaign can include Creators.gg setup, with FirstLook supporting access and coverage tracking.

Smaller creators matter here. A niche game grows through people who genuinely enjoy it, so we'll include smaller channels whose audiences fit, alongside larger ones, and give them reasons to keep playing over time.

Organic outreach comes first. We'll build the campaign around earned creator and media coverage, and only consider paid opportunities if the fit, timing and value make sense for you.

Starting points for creator research

Minion and summoner builds in ARPGs
Overlord-style minion command
Creature and deck-building roguelites
Dark fantasy and horror indies
Smaller roguelite discovery channels

We screen for audience fit and interest in build experimentation. Creator participation is subject to interest and availability.

How we run creator outreach

01
Play and research
02
Write the pitch, guide and clips
03
Email and direct outreach
04
Keys and onboarding
05
Follow up and track coverage
06
Return for updates

See the Creators.gg platform

In a scoped creator campaign, we set up and manage it, opening it to smaller relevant creators as well as larger channels.

Creators.gg campaign listing page — Creators.gg campaign listing, from FirstLook documentation. Source

FirstLook content tracking filtered by campaign participants — FirstLook content tracking, filtered by campaign participants, from FirstLook documentation. Source

RLC and BigFryTV

A look at the kind of ongoing creator relationship we build: people who spend time with the game and return as it develops.

Watch full video

Gray Zone Warfare campaign, 2024

100M+ organic views

YouTube and TikTok, 2024, across the whole campaign

#1 Steam global Top Seller

Reached during Gray Zone Warfare’s 2024 launch campaign

On Gray Zone Warfare, I built creator and media relationships, prepared people ahead of reveals, and kept the campaign moving through launch and updates.

Read the Gray Zone Warfare case study

Figures reported in RLC’s Gray Zone Warfare case study.

Make more of every reveal

Gray Zone Warfare had a one minute PC Gaming Show trailer. We turned it into a wider campaign by briefing creators in advance and supplying footage and context under embargo. That campaign drew approximately 20 million YouTube and TikTok views, manually tracked.

For Hear My Cult, I'd prepare a clear feature story, clips, the guide and interested creators before each update that is ready to show, such as a new biome, element or build system. Then we coordinate coverage and follow up after the announcement.

How we'd approach Hear My Cult creators

Each email or DM is tailored to what that creator actually makes, from build guides to streams and first impressions, and leads with real gameplay.

05 / Media and materials, later

Everything creators and media need for Hear My Cult, in one place.

When outreach is scoped, we can build and maintain a Hear My Cult creator and media hub, with approved game information, footage, screenshots, downloadable assets and a public guide to the first builds and armies. We'll update it as the game develops.

A hub, public guide and B-roll GIFs or clips are optional. We'd scope them with a creator or media campaign when they're useful.

Give media a story worth covering.

Once a media campaign is scoped, we'd follow up with outlets already covering Hear My Cult and approach relevant editors with interviews, gameplay features and update news. A solo developer making a summoner game with real army control is a story in itself.

OZARK launch preview hub screenshot — OZARK launch preview hub (RLC example)View live press kit (opens in new tab)

View example players guide

Coverage examples

Previews, feature stories and updates each give media a different reason to cover a game, and Hear My Cult can offer all three as it develops.

IGN · Gray Zone Warfare · March 2024
IGN: 24-hour exclusive
I helped coordinate the footage for a 24-hour IGN exclusive and prepared selected creators to react once it was public. The case study reports more than 1.1 million views across IGN's social post and YouTube video alone.
Watch the IGN feature (opens in new tab)Case study (opens in new tab)
Game Rant · Luminary
Luminary: Fable and Zelda comparisons
A familiar comparison gives readers a way into a new RPG.
Read coverage (opens in new tab)
PCGamesN · Don't Lose Aggro · Mar 16, 2026
An exclusive Early Access reveal
PCGamesN introduces the tanking hook and reveals the Early Access date.
Read coverage (opens in new tab)
Game*Spark · Gray Zone Warfare · Aug 14, 2026
Arma and DayZ veteran joins the team
Japanese news on Ivan Buchta joining development, showing team news can be a story of its own.
Read coverage (opens in new tab)

06 / Working together

How we'll work together.

Official Hear My Cult Steam screenshot of the Caller and an army of minions

Our first month with Hear My Cult

01
Learn your goals and the build
Play extensively, talk through priorities, and audit positioning and the Steam page.
02
Start the research
Begin comparable-game pricing research and compare release-window options against events and competing releases.
03
Set up the plan and first test
Start the living marketing plan, and scope the first closed test with its survey and guide.

What we'll review each month

Decisions and readiness

Decisions made and still open in the plan
Pricing, release-window and Steam readiness progress
Coverage links and creator responses, once outreach is active

Players and feedback

Playtest results and the friction still open
Wishlist and Steam traffic data you choose to share
Returning testers and community response

We'll agree what needs attention, update the plan and decide what the next test should answer. We move into public demos or outreach when the build is ready. Creator and media outreach is scoped and priced separately.

07 / Options

One partnership, with a standalone test if you prefer.

Main offer

Marketing partnership

Starting at $5,000 / month

Consulting, planning and managed playtests, working with you month to month on the road to launch.

Marketing consulting and regular decision calls
Strategy and a living marketing plan
Audience and niche positioning
Comparable-game pricing research, editions and bundles
Release-window and event planning
Steam readiness and launch process support
Planning and running agreed managed playtest waves
Feedback analysis, reporting and next-build recommendations

Alternative

Standalone managed playtest

$3,000 one-time

One managed playtest with up to 2 coordinated waves, within an agreed scope.

Setup and player recruitment
Onboarding, playtest guide and access
Discord player support
Surveys
Analysis and a prioritized report
Retest of the next build

Later expansion

Creator and media outreach

Scoped separately when needed

Added closer to a meaningful public milestone. We agree the scope and price before anything starts.

Creator research and personal outreach
Media pitching and interviews
Keys, access and follow-up
Coverage reporting

Managed playtests are included in the partnership, so there's no separate playtest fee on top of the monthly price. We plan and run the waves we agree together; it isn't unlimited testing.

The standalone playtest covers up to two coordinated waves: setup and recruitment, onboarding, guide and access, Discord support, surveys, analysis with a prioritized report, and a retest. We agree participant scope, build readiness and schedule before it starts.

Month to month with 30 days' notice, and no minimum term. These are our proposed fees, and a standard agreement follows once you choose.

Not included

Paid recruitment, player incentives, ads, paid placements and third-party production such as trailers. If any become useful, we agree the cost with you first. A press kit can be scoped separately if it's relevant.

08 / Next step

Let's get started.

1. Choose the marketing partnership, or start with a standalone managed playtest.
2. Let's have a call to agree first-month priorities and the first closed test.
3. We'll send the agreement over and get to work.

Book a call

RLC x Hear My Cult

Not an agency. Not a megaphone. An embedded partner.

Your marketing partner, from here.

How we'd start, and where we'd go.

Consulting and planning

Closed tests and improvements

Public demos and updates

Launch support

Updates and continued support

Lead with the army. Save the mystery.

Clear decisions, so you can keep building.

Audience positioning

Pricing research

Release-window planning

Steam readiness

Living marketing plan

Test wave strategy

How the plan stays organized

Managed playtests. Better feedback, without the weeks of admin.

Two managed playtest waves

Luminary

You bring the build. We run the playtest.

Recruitment

Guide, access and onboarding

Discord support

Reports

Retests

Initial feedback from the RLC team

Observed

What we'd plan next

Bringing players back

Give the right creators a reason to stay.

How we'd approach Hear My Cult creators

Everything creators and media need for Hear My Cult, in one place.

Give media a story worth covering.

Coverage examples

IGN: 24-hour exclusive

Luminary: Fable and Zelda comparisons

An exclusive Early Access reveal

Arma and DayZ veteran joins the team

A major update, explained

All new weapons in Update 0.5

First major Early Access update

Luminary preview