A little more than 15 years ago Corey Wade, Bill Linn, and I started our own little PR and marketing agency – Sandbox Strategies. It’s grown into something I’m incredibly proud of, with a team of 13 working together currently, and now we’ve found a new home for Sandbox within the Embracer family!
I’ve only had a few moments in life that I can look back on and just marvel that something I’ve created has morphed into what I had hoped and dreamed it would – my marriage, my kids and now, my company. Sure, it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. When we set down this path, we had no idea where it would take us, but we did know that we were passionate about games and understood the industry. We started out with the simple goal of offering up a holistic approach to PR. And while the industry has definitely changed – we were one of the first agencies to build up a dedicated influencer outreach team – I believe our core functions have weathered everything that’s come our way.
We’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing developers and publishers all over the world to help promote hundreds of games since the inception of Sandbox – every one of them deserves praise for standing by their vision, bringing them to life, and putting them out there for players to experience. Thinking back on some of the projects we’ve worked on brings a smile to my face – Perplex City, Tony Hawk, Ninjatown, Alan Wake, NASCAR, Walden, The Walking Dead, World War Z – and so many more.
Really though, it’s the amazing people that make up Sandbox that are the true superstars here! Each and every one of them brings something unique and awesome to the table! It blows my mind that some Sandboxers have stuck around and put up with my pickle-loving ways for more than 10 years!
Now we set off down a new, but familiar, road. It was five years ago when we first met the team from Saber Interactive. As we got to know them and how they worked, we got to truly appreciate their knack for development and making games fun. Little did we know that our work with them would eventually introduce us to Embracer. As we worked closely with some of the groups within Embracer, we found a company that cares about its people, is open and honest, nurtures its developers, and is investing in the future.
When we were approached to join their family, we jumped at the chance – it just seemed like such a natural fit. We’re able to remain a standalone group and stick to our core business of PR and content creator outreach, and at the same time offer our services to the other developers and publishers within Embracer. I’m excited for what the future holds and look forward to working with all our friends – new and old – as we move forward together.
– Rob Fleischer
