Apple Tops Google In 2011 Brand Ranking

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BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranked Apple as having the highest brand value, at $153.3 billion, dethroning Google which was rated at $111.5 billion. Among the big three of the gaming industry, Microsoft was number four rated at $78.2 billion, Nintendo was ranked at number 79, dropping more than a third to $11.1 billion while Sony was ranked at 85, a nearly 20 percent increase to $10.4 billion.

“It’s clear that every single Apple employee, from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook to the summer interns, see protecting and nurturing that brand as a top priority,” said Millward Brown CEO Eileen Campbell. “Tablet computing also drove value growth not just for Apple, but also for the providers who support yet another networked device.”

Video Game Marketing New Bible — Part 1

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Today, game developers a publishers face a problem of discovery today, reaching beyond the issue of pure game quality. Between free-to-play, digital downloads, online offerings, social games and smartphone apps, there’s fragmentation in the market like never before, enhancing the importance of good marketing and PR.

“Developers continue to wrestle with appreciating the value of, plotting effective campaigns for, and otherwise wrapping their heads around the magic of video game marketing and PR efforts, writes Scott Steinberg. This is of chilling concern as the shift to digital distribution and direct consumer relationships intensifies. Even the smallest, most specialized shops are suddenly faced with the prospect of having to think like standalone publishing houses: Skills not necessarily in their wheelhouse. Worse, having traveled from the Game Developers Conference to Festival of Games and toured several continents as a consultant and talent scout for industry-leading publishers and developers alike, a running theme keeps presenting itself. Not only do most game makers say that they don t know how to drive public awareness to their titles. Many can t even identify their core audience, beginning the question ‘if you don t know who you re making a product for, why build it in the first place ‘

Getting a game in front of as many eyeballs as possible is an important aspect. It’s also vital to interact with your customers and establish a fresh report with them to help make players more involved, growing the user base and driving purchase intent.

Be forewarned: To achieve maximum return on investment going forward, marketing must be deeply embedded into actual product development, ideally from day one, and viewed as an organic extension of any given title or campaign s core feature set. Because in its purest essence, video game advertising circa 2011 isn t about just providing a temporary groundswell of support for a specific title or brand. It s about creating a persistent, standalone entertainment experience with real, tangible worth unto itself, added Steinberg. Given this sweeping change in focus, it s also important to note. Promotional content must not only be designed from the beginning to live on in a dedicated, persistent space. It s vital as well that users be given the tools to interact with, shape, share and make of media what they will as well as connect and communicate with fellow enthusiasts while doing so. In essence, tomorrow s most effective advertising campaigns are actually metagames in disguise. And, while we re at it, will be designed so that users actively and regularly seek them out in order to sate their desire to gain exclusive access/knowledge, a perceived boost in social status or tangible physical reward. Make no mistake: Audience empowerment is the key to success. Unbounded by time, budget or political constraints, your user base can act as an eternal wellspring from which greatness springs. And more pointedly serve to drive new customer adoption and content refresh rates far beyond that which is within the capacity of any given agency or enterprise to reproduce.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

American Idol Superstar Combo Of Cowell And Abdul Reunited

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American Idol judge Paula Abdul will be reunited with Simon Cowell on the show The X Factor. They will be joined by British singer Cheryl Cole (also involved in the British X Factor show) and record producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid on the judging panel, with co-hosts former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and British TV presenter Steve Jones

“I’m thrilled,” said Abdul. “It’s a show you don’t have to calculate or guess how you’re going to approach it. I walk into this, it’s a new journey. It’s a brand new show and a new experience.”

“This show would never have been the same without Paula, and I can’t believe I am saying this — I have missed her a lot,” Cowell said in a statement.

Source: Reuters

PSN May Remain Down Until May 31

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It was hoped (and believed) that Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity services would be back online sometime over the weekend. However, SCE spokesman confirmed that they will remain offline now and for the foreseeable future.

Despite an announcement that they were looking to restore partial services on May 1, the company is now shooting for a May 31 date to make sure the improved security system is fully implemented. Both PSN and Qriocity were taken down on April 20 as a response to a coordinated hacking effort.

Source: Bloomberg

Steamworks Announced for Deus Ex: Human Revolution

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Square Enix has announced that Deus Ex: Human Revolution will be available on Steam when it releases this August, with full Steamworks support. Steamworks allows publishers to take advantage of Valve’s platform to integrate auto-updating, cloud-based game saves, and Steam achievements into their titles.

Human Revolution will be available as a standard release, and a special Steam-exclusive “Augmented Edition.” This special release includes a 40-page digital art book, “making of” special features, soundtrack, and a free download of Deus Ex Game of the Year Edition, among other goodies.

Human Revolution is a revitlization of the Deus Ex franchise, which made its debut in 2000 and received only a single sequel, released in 2002.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Dead Rising 2 Each Sell Two Million Units

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Japanese publisher Capcom has posted its annual earnings, revealing a massive 257 percent leap in profits for the company, thanks to a diverse portfolio of products. Net income jumped from ¥2.17 billion ($26.9 million) to ¥7.75 billion ($96.1 million).

Monster Hunter remains incredibly strong as a brand for Capcom. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 was the fastest-selling PSP title in history with 4.6 million units shipped, while Monster Hunter Frontier Online had a solid performance for the company and mobile spinoff title Monhan Nikki Mobile Airu Mura reached 1 million users.

The publisher said it had a total five million-sellers for the year. Targeting Western gamers seems to have worked as Dead Rising 2 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds both sold over 2 million units each. Capcom also sold 1.6 million units of Super Street Fighter IV, and 1.5 million units of Lost Planet 2.

Source: IndustryGamers

Microsoft’s 343 Industries Talks Halo’s Bright Future

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Halo is one of the most recognizable brands in gaming and it;s the cornerstone upon which the entire Xbox business has been built, so you can bet that even with Bungie out of the picture, Microsoft is going to be very careful in how they carry the franchise forward. 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor recently discussed the future of Halo and what the next game projects will entail.

“We’re definitely putting a lot of very careful thought into future game projects. We’re building a very large, very talented team, and we’re doing an awful lot of planning,” he explained. “But other than that, really our focus, and this is literally true, is making sure that Reach is well-tended, and cultivated, and taken care of. Because these games have a long life, right And the multiplayer equal system is a vital part of that, and so that’s our main technical task for this year.”

“And I think that our main high-level task this year is to celebrate ten years of Halo with our fans, and we’re going to be doing a lot of things to celebrate that, and there’s going to be a lot of cool surprises in this year, and we just want to have a celebratory atmosphere. Even as that baton is passed, and that torch is passed, we want to make sure it’s a happy year, and there’s still a lot to talk about.”

Source: Gamasutra

Jaguar’s Electric Supercar Charging Up For 2013

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Most gamers love sleek sports cars . . . one look at Gran Turismo, Project Gotham Racing or Forza Motorspot is proof enough of that. Here’s a new car from luxury auto maker Jaguar called the C-X75. Originally revealed as a concept car, it’s just been scheduled to launch in 2013 and works like the Chevy Volt, running on electric power that s replenished by a gasoline engine. The difference is this beast has a motor at each wheel, generating 800 horsepower, enabling the rocket to go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds with a top speed of at least 200 mph. It could cost $1.1 million to buy one.

The car unveiling and a review by Tonight Show host (and car nut) Jay Leno are below. And Mashable has more pictures.