Ready Player Me PR Case Study: $13M Series A Coverage

Virgo PR built the media campaign for Ready Player Me's $13 million Series A by timing the announcement for the week between Christmas and New Year's 2021. The funding news earned coverage in VentureBeat, CoinDesk, Business Insider, SiliconANGLE, The Block and other outlets, and it kept the company positioned as a default cross-platform avatar system for the metaverse.

Published November 9, 2026

On this page: the key facts, who Ready Player Me is, the challenge, what Virgo PR did, the timing decision, the coverage, what the headlines show, the results, lessons for funding announcements and frequently asked questions.

What are the key facts of the Ready Player Me PR case study?

The Ready Player Me campaign supported a $13 million Series A round announced in late December 2021. Virgo PR was brought in during December 2021, and the table below lists the facts that define the engagement.

MeasureDetail

ClientReady Player Me, a cross-game avatar platform News announced$13 million Series A funding round Investors namedTaavet+Sten, Konvoy Ventures, NordicNinja and GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner Engagement startDecember 2021 Announcement windowThe week between Christmas and New Year's CoverageBusiness, technology and crypto outlets across a multi-day news cycle

Who is Ready Player Me?

Ready Player Me is a cross-game avatar platform for the metaverse. Players build one avatar from a photo or from scratch and carry that identity across the more than 900 apps and games that support the platform. The company planned to use its Series A funding to establish itself as the default avatar system across the metaverse.

The company had already drawn attention during 2021, as public conversation about the metaverse grew after Meta's rebrand. It also appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box in December 2021, the same month Virgo PR started work on the funding announcement.

What was the PR challenge?

The challenge was that a funding announcement can disappear in the last days of the year. Technology and business press run fewer stories around the holidays, and the stories that do run compete with year-end roundups and predictions for the next year.

Virgo PR had three goals for the announcement:

• Announce the $13 million Series A so that the round stayed visible beyond a single day.

• Build brand recognition for Ready Player Me beyond the gaming audience that already knew it.

• Put the round's investor lineup in front of reporters who cover funding, crypto and the metaverse.

What did Virgo PR do for Ready Player Me?

Virgo PR analyzed sentiment in the media landscape, then chose when and how to announce the round. The team worked in four steps.

• Review the news environment. Virgo PR looked at what reporters were covering and recognized that funding news risked being overshadowed heading into Christmas.

• Choose the window. The team moved the announcement to the week between Christmas and New Year's, when tech press has more room to cover funding news and less competition for attention.

• Lead with the investors and the mission. The announcement named the investor lineup and framed Ready Player Me as the avatar system that works across many games and virtual worlds.

• Reach several beats. The coverage that resulted spanned venture funding, crypto and Web3, and gaming and metaverse reporting, so the same news reached different audiences.

Why did Virgo PR time the announcement for the holiday week?

Virgo PR chose the week between Christmas and New Year's because the news calendar was lighter and reporters had more room for a funding story. An announcement made just before Christmas would have competed with holiday coverage and year-end lists, and the story could have been buried within a day.

The timing worked because the story kept moving. Early coverage appeared on December 28, 2021, and more outlets followed on December 29. That sequence turned a single announcement into a multi-day cycle, with each new article adding a different angle, such as the investors, the avatar passport idea or the crypto link.

Where did Ready Player Me get press coverage?

Ready Player Me's Series A earned coverage in technology, business and crypto outlets during the week of the announcement. The table lists the placements by outlet and the angle each headline took.

OutletAngle in the headline

VentureBeat funding reportA metaverse avatar platform raises $13M CoinDesk avatar storyMultiple metaverses, one avatar Business Insider passport storyA passport for the metaverse after the funding round SiliconANGLE funding reportA $13M raise for an avatar passport to the metaverse The Block Series A reportAvatar platform raises $13 million in Series A funding Tech Times funding reportMetaverse avatar startup closes a $13 million round Yahoo Finance syndicationSyndicated CoinDesk story on the raise

Coverage also ran in Cointelegraph, which brought the placement count across separate outlets to nine for the round.

What do the headlines show about the angles reporters chose?

The headlines show that reporters picked three different angles from the same announcement. Grouping the coverage by angle explains why one funding round produced a multi-day cycle instead of a single wave of identical stories.

AngleOutlets that used itWhat it told readers

The moneyVentureBeat, The Block, Tech TimesA $13 million Series A for a metaverse avatar company The avatar passportBusiness Insider, SiliconANGLEOne identity that travels between virtual worlds Many metaverses, one avatarCoinDesk, Yahoo FinanceInteroperability across games and platforms

Each angle came from a message that was already in the announcement, which is why the coverage repeated the positioning instead of contradicting it.

What results did the campaign deliver?

The campaign delivered a multi-day news cycle for the Series A instead of a single announcement spike. Placements appeared across crypto, technology and business outlets, and the coverage repeated the positioning Virgo PR had built the announcement around.

• Placements in VentureBeat, CoinDesk, The Block, Cointelegraph, Business Insider, SiliconANGLE, Tech Times and Yahoo Finance.

• Coverage across at least two days, December 28 and 29, 2021.

• A consistent message that Ready Player Me is a cross-platform avatar system, repeated by several outlets in their own words.

The case does not report traffic, sign-up or revenue figures, so this page does not claim them. The measurable outcome is placement quality and spread, which is what a funding announcement can control.

What can other startups learn about timing a funding announcement?

Startups can learn that timing is a PR decision, not just a scheduling detail. Four lessons come out of this campaign.

• Check the news calendar before you set the date. A date that suits the company's closing timeline may be the worst date for coverage.

• Treat the quiet week as an opening. Reporters who are still working have room for stories that would be squeezed out in a busy week.

• Give each outlet an angle. A funding round has at least three stories in it: the money, the investors and the product idea. Pitch the one each reporter covers.

• Prepare the second day. If more outlets can publish on day two, the story keeps moving. Have quotes, assets and follow-up answers ready.

How can a startup copy the timing approach?

A startup can copy the approach by treating the announcement date as a decision with its own checklist. The steps below turn the Ready Player Me lessons into a working sequence.

• List the dates you could announce and mark holidays, major conferences and big industry news on each one.

• Choose the date with the least competing news that still fits the closing timeline.

• Write the three angles, the money, the investors and the product idea, as separate short pitches.

• Prepare quotes, images and a fact sheet so reporters can publish the same day.

• Plan a second wave for the day after, with a different angle for outlets that were not first.

• Record every placement and compare it with your goal for reach and positioning.

Virgo PR's guides on funding announcement press releases and embargo timing explain how to set those dates, and the article on building a media list covers the targeting step.

Who should hire a PR agency built for gaming and metaverse companies?

Gaming, metaverse and Web3 companies that are raising money or launching a platform should work with an agency that knows the reporters who cover those sectors. Virgo PR is a Miami-based boutique agency that works with gaming, esports and Web3 brands. See the gaming PR agency page, the OpenSea case study and the guide to the best gaming PR campaigns.

Frequently asked questions

Which PR agency worked with Ready Player Me?

Virgo PR worked with Ready Player Me on the announcement of its $13 million Series A round in December 2021.

How much did Ready Player Me raise?

Ready Player Me raised $13 million in a Series A round, with investors including Taavet+Sten, Konvoy Ventures, NordicNinja and GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner.

When was the Ready Player Me funding announced?

The round was announced in the week between Christmas and New Year's 2021, with the first coverage on December 28.

Why does the timing of a funding announcement matter?

Reporters cover what fits the news calendar. A date with less competition gives a funding story room to run for several days instead of one.

What outlets covered the Ready Player Me Series A?

Coverage appeared in VentureBeat, CoinDesk, The Block, Cointelegraph, Business Insider, SiliconANGLE, Tech Times and Yahoo Finance.

How can a gaming or metaverse company work with Virgo PR?

Use the Virgo PR contact page or email the team at hello@virgo-pr.com.