Nick Ellis to Speak at ChinaJoy: Unpacking the Power of Celebrity Collaborations in Gaming
We're thrilled to announce that Nick Ellis, Managing Director at Theorycraft Marketing, will be speaking at Pocket Gamer Connects Shanghai during ChinaJoy on July 30th at 4:30 PM, as part of the East to West track hosted by Steel Media.
Nick’s session - “Breaking into the West: The Power of Collaborations for Asian Gaming Brands" - will dive deep into how Asian gaming companies can successfully scale into Western markets, using creative strategies that go far beyond traditional UA.
At the center of the talk is one of the industry’s most effective recent campaigns: Antony Starr x Last War: Survival. What started as a bold idea turned into a full-blown global success - helping Last War top the charts in both downloads and revenue across major Western markets.
The campaign has since been recognized with multiple international awards, including:
🏆 NYX Gold Award
🏆 Communicator Award for Integrated Campaign
**What to Expect:
**
In his talk, Nick will break down:
Why celebrity and brand collaborations can unlock scale in the right markets
What makes a partnership feel earned and effective - not just expensive
How Theorycraft helped turn a zombie strategy game into a household name
Lessons for developers and publishers looking to globalize their marketing
Whether you’re a developer aiming to expand into new territories, or a marketer looking to build smarter launch strategies, this session will offer clear, battle-tested insights from the frontlines.
“Too many celebrity campaigns in gaming are style over substance. We’re here to show what happens when you get both right - strategy and style.” - Nick Ellis
Come Say Hi!
📍 PGC Shanghai
🕓 July 30, 4:30 PM
🎯 East to West Track
We’re excited to share what we’ve learned - and to keep pushing the boundaries of what game marketing can do.
