Celebrity Partnerships for Games: How the Process Works, From First Enquiry to Launch

A recognisable face can change the performance of a game campaign. For mobile titles in particular, celebrity-led creative can lift click-through rates, reduce cost per install and give a game a cultural moment that standard UA creative can't buy.

From the outside, though, the process can look opaque. How do you approach a Hollywood actor or a Premier League footballer? What is a "firm offer"? Why does the talent's agent keep asking about territories and media?

At Theorycraft Marketing we run celebrity collaborations for some of the biggest games in mobile, including the celebrity programme for Last War: Survival (featuring talent such as Antony Starr and Daniel Wu) and campaigns for Century Games' Kingshot with names including Michael Owen and Gabriel Jesus. This guide explains how the process works step by step, and how offers are structured, so studios and publishers know what to expect.

Why Celebrity Partnerships Work in Game Marketing

Before the process itself, it helps to be clear on why celebrity marketing for games earns its budget.

• Thumb-stopping creative: A familiar face in the first second of an advert stops the scroll in feeds where players see hundreds of game ads a week.
• Trust and credibility: Talent with a strong fanbase lends instant credibility, especially for a new IP entering a Western market.
• Better paid media performance: Well-built celebrity creative typically feeds directly into UA, improving CTR and conversion across Meta, TikTok, YouTube and other networks.
• Earned media: A well-matched partnership generates press coverage, social conversation and creator reactions on top of paid reach.

The key is that the celebrity is a performance asset, not just a branding exercise. Everything in the process should be designed around that.

The Celebrity Collaboration Process, Step by Step

1. Define Objectives, Markets and Budget

Every partnership starts with a brief, not a name. We work with the client to agree:

• The goal: installs and revenue (UA-led), brand awareness, a launch moment, or a mix.
• Target markets: the US, UK, Germany, France and so on. Talent popularity varies dramatically by region.
• Audience profile: who the game's players actually are, by age, gender, interests and what they watch.
• Budget range: this shapes which tier of talent is realistic and how much media can be bought.
• Creative concept: a rough idea of the advert's tone and how the talent fits the game's theme.

A medieval strategy game, a casual puzzle title and a football-themed game call for very different talent, even with the same budget.

2. Build the Talent Shortlist

Next, we build a shortlist across budget tiers. Each candidate is assessed on:

• Audience fit: does their fanbase overlap with the game's target players?
• Regional relevance: are they recognised in the markets that matter?
• Brand safety: past controversies, conflicting endorsements and public sentiment.
• Creative fit: can they credibly sit inside the game's world and tone?
• Availability and appetite: are they known to do commercial work, and specifically gaming work?

A good shortlist gives the client options, from household names to high-value talent who deliver strong results at a lower fee.

3. Soft Enquiries and Availability Checks

Before any money is discussed formally, we contact the talent's agents or management with a soft enquiry. This tests:

• whether the talent is open to a gaming partnership
• availability for a shoot window
• any existing category conflicts (for example, a current deal with a competing game)
• an indicative fee range

Soft enquiries are not binding on either side. They save time by ruling out talent who aren't available or interested before a client commits.

4. Submit the Firm Offer

Once the client has chosen their preferred talent, we submit a firm offer. This is the most important document in the process, and it's where many studios new to celebrity marketing get caught out. (We break down exactly what goes into one in the next section.)

A firm offer is a formal, good-faith commitment: if the talent accepts it as written, the deal is agreed in principle. That's why it should only be made once the client has approved budget and terms internally.

5. Negotiation

Agents will often come back with a counter. Common points of negotiation include:

• the fee
• the length of the usage period
• the number of territories or media channels
• the number of shoot hours and deliverables
• approval rights over the final creative

This is where experience matters. Knowing what's standard, what's worth conceding and what will damage campaign performance if given away saves both money and headaches.

6. Contracts

Once terms are agreed, they are written into a full talent agreement. This formalises everything in the offer, plus legal detail such as warranties, morality clauses, cancellation terms and payment schedules. Where an agency sits between the brand and the talent, there are usually back-to-back contracts: one between the client and agency, and one between the agency and talent, with matching terms.

7. Pre-Production

With contracts signed, the creative work begins:

• scripts and storyboards, written for performance ad formats
• sharing the scripts with talent for approval
• crew, location and production scheduling
• planning the full set of deliverables in one shoot day, including multiple ad variations, cutdowns and social content

Planning for many variations is essential. UA creative fatigues quickly, so the more usable versions you capture on the day, the longer the campaign stays effective.

8. The Shoot

Celebrity shoot days are tightly scheduled. Talent time is limited and contractually defined, so every minute is mapped out in advance. A well-run shoot typically captures hero adverts, short hooks for social, alternative endings, lines in multiple variations and behind-the-scenes content.

9. Approvals and Delivery

After editing, the creative goes through approvals, usually from both the client and the talent's team. Building realistic approval time into the schedule avoids launch delays.

10. Launch, Testing and Optimisation

The creative goes live across paid media and, where agreed, the talent's own social channels. From there, it's a performance exercise: testing hooks, formats and placements, scaling what works and rotating new variations in as others fatigue.

How Celebrity Offers Work: What's Inside a Firm Offer

A firm offer sets out exactly what the brand is buying. These are the core elements.

Fee

The total payment to the talent, usually stated as a flat fee covering the shoot and the agreed usage. Additional elements such as social posts or appearances are often priced separately.

Usage Term

How long the brand can use the content, commonly 6 or 12 months. Once the term ends, the content must come down unless it's renewed.

Territories

Where the content can run. Worldwide rights cost more than single-market rights, so it's worth being precise about where the game actually needs to perform.

Media Channels

Which channels the content can appear on: paid social, online video, in-app placements, TV, OOH (out-of-home) and so on. Paid digital is standard for game UA; TV and OOH typically increase the fee.

Deliverables and Shoot Time

The number of shoot hours or days, and what the talent will provide, such as hero adverts, social cutdowns, stills or their own organic posts.

Exclusivity

Whether the talent agrees not to work with competing games or brands during the term. Category exclusivity protects the campaign, but broad exclusivity raises the price.

Approvals

How much say the talent's team has over scripts and final edits. Clear approval windows keep production on schedule.

Options and Renewals

Pre-agreed prices for extending the usage term or adding territories later. Locking these in at offer stage avoids renegotiating from scratch if the campaign performs well, which it often does.

Payment Terms

When the fee is paid, commonly split between signature and shoot or delivery.

Offer Validity

How long the offer stands before it expires. This creates a decision point and stops talks from stalling.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing talent for fame, not fit: the biggest name isn't always the best performer for your audience.
• Under-buying usage: short terms or narrow media can force expensive renegotiation just as a campaign starts scaling.
• Capturing too few variations: one hero advert won't sustain a UA campaign. Plan for volume.
• Ignoring regional relevance: a star in one market may be unknown in another.
• Skipping brand-safety checks: reputational risk attaches to your game as well as the talent.

FAQ

How much does a celebrity partnership for a game cost?

Fees vary widely depending on the talent's profile, the usage term, territories, media channels and exclusivity. Budgets range from mid-tier talent suited to targeted regional campaigns to global names for major launches. A clear brief helps an agency recommend talent that delivers the best return for the budget available.

How long does a celebrity collaboration take from start to launch?

It depends on talent availability and approvals, but a typical campaign takes several weeks to a few months from shortlist to live creative. Building in time for negotiation and approvals is key.

What is the difference between a soft enquiry and a firm offer?

A soft enquiry tests interest, availability and indicative pricing without commitment. A firm offer is a formal proposal of specific terms that, if accepted, agrees the deal in principle.

Can celebrity creative be used for paid UA campaigns?

Yes, provided the agreed media channels and territories cover it. For mobile games in particular, paid UA is often the main use of celebrity content.

Do celebrities post about the game on their own social channels?

Only if it's included in the deal. Organic posts are usually negotiated as a separate deliverable with their own fee.

What happens when the usage term ends?

The content must be removed unless the term is renewed. Agreeing renewal options in the original offer makes extensions faster and more predictable.

Work With Theorycraft Marketing

Theorycraft Marketing is a global performance marketing agency helping game studios and publishers scale in Western markets. We run celebrity and brand partnerships, paid media and UA, influencer and KOL campaigns, and creative production across mobile, PC and console, for clients including Century Games, KRAFTON, Gameloft and PlayStation.

From the first talent shortlist to the last optimised advert, we manage the whole celebrity process so your team can focus on the game.

Planning a celebrity campaign? Get in touch and let's talk about the right talent for your game.