Submitted by Cloutboost

How Trailer Reactions Drove Early Hype for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn

Cloutboost ran an embargoed YouTube trailer reaction campaign for Owlcat Games around the reveal of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, reporting 420K views across eight dedicated videos.

20KTotal # of Likes
420KTotal # of Views
10MTotal Covered Audience
6.5%average engagement rate
350Kcombined reach, first 7 days

Case in 60 seconds

Owlcat Games had to announce The Expanse: Osiris Reborn at the Future Games Show on June 7 with no gameplay footage and no hands-on content available, so the reveal had to build anticipation on the trailer alone.

The campaign appears to turn on the pull of the IP and the developer rather than the product, because an audience that already trusts The Expanse and Owlcat's earlier RPGs will speculate about a game it has not yet seen played.

Rather than wait for playable material, Cloutboost built the announcement around creators whose established format is the trailer reaction, so the commentary itself carried the reveal and the speculation became the content.

Eight macro YouTube creators signed NDAs and received the announcement trailer and key talking points under embargo until the Future Games Show premiere, publishing dedicated videos of trailer reactions and IP speculation, with one creator also hosting a developer interview.

Cloutboost reports 420K views, 20K likes and a total covered audience of 10M across 8 dedicated videos released between June 7-11, 2025, with combined reach of over 350K in the first 7 days and an engagement rate across videos: 6.5% average.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Fans of The Expanse universe, sci-fi RPG enthusiasts, and loyal players of Owlcat's previous titles.
Gaming publishers question whether influencers can be engaged before gameplay footage is ready, and the page positions this reveal as a case where a beloved IP and a trusted developer made a pre-gameplay activation workable.
Owlcat's pedigree from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader was written into the creator briefing, so the studio's track record acted as the credibility the trailer alone could not supply.
Based on the available evidence, the campaign reads as built on the reaction audience's appetite for speculation, because viewers who cannot yet see gameplay will watch trusted commentators infer narrative depth, ship design and combat systems from a trailer.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • YouTube
  • dedicated videos
  • developer interview
  • trailer reaction

Partners

  • Cloutboost (lead_agency)

Creator role

  • AfroSenju XL — creator
  • AngryJoeShow — creator
  • Big Dan Gaming — creator
  • Force Gaming — creator
  • JorRaptor — creator
  • Luke Stephens — creator
  • MrMattyPlays — creator
  • YongYea — creator
  • 8 macro-level influencers
  • eight macro YouTube creators

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult type
Total # of LikesTotal # of Likes 20Kperformance
Total # of ViewsTotal # of Views 420Kvideo_views
Total Covered AudienceTotal Covered Audience 10Mreach
average engagement rateEngagement rate across videos: 6.5% averageengagement_rate
combined reach, first 7 daysCombined reach of over 350K in the first 7 daysreach
dedicated videos released8 dedicated videos released between June 7-11, 2025output

Why Cloutboost's strategy worked

  1. 1

    An announcement without gameplay can still be activated through creators, because a beloved IP and a developer with a known back catalogue give commentators enough material to react to and speculate about.

  2. 2

    NDAs and a shared embargo tied to a broadcast moment turn eight separate uploads into one wave, which concentrates attention on the premiere rather than spreading it thinly across the days after it.

  3. 3

    Casting for format fit rather than reach alone appears to matter here, because creators whose regular output is trailer breakdowns needed no brief-driven change to their content to carry the reveal.

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