Android Ouya Console Raises $2 Million Quickly

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Yves Behar’s concept for a Android console called Ouya on Kickstarter has raised well over $2 million with four weeks still to go. The open platform with free-to-play emphasis has gotten the open support of Jordan Mechner, Adam Saltsman, Jenova Chen and Brian Fargo.

“Developers can wave farewell to the roadblocks of bringing a console game to market,” reads the product’s appeal page. “Anyone can make a game: every Ouya console is a dev kit. No need to purchase a license or an expensive SDK. It’s built on Android, so developers already know how it works.”

“That doesn’t mean Ouya is an Android port. You can create the next big title in your bedroom – just like the good old days! Who needs pants! ” it adds. “Ouya could change AAA game development, too. Forget about licensing fees, retail fees, and publishing fees.”

Source: Kickstarter.com

Turtle Beach Turning Up Theater Campaign

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Turtle Beach have announced a national in-theater campaign that will run across 1,660 screens in the top 10 markets across the U.S. to appear before such summer films as The Amazing Spider-Man, Savages, and The Dark Knight Rises. The campaign will emphasize the importance of audio both in video game storytelling and are designed to illustrate how Turtle Beach headset products affects such experiences.

“We built a trailer where you hear the audio before you see the action to highlight how important sound is to the game experience,” said Bob Picunko, chief marketing officer for Turtle Beach. “Audio is often taken for granted and the goal of this campaign is to highlight how important sound is to the entertainment experience, especially in games.”

Find out more about Turtle Beach in this exclusive [a]list feature.

Deus Ex Film Rights Sewn Up By CBS

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CBS Films secured the rights to to make a film version of Deus Ex, with Roy Lee and Adrian Askarieh (also working on Just Cause and Kane and Lynch) attached to produce, John P. Middleton will serving as exec producer of the project, Maria Faillace as exec VP of production, and creative executive Alex Ginno will oversee the project. They plan to work closely with developer Eidos Montreal adaptation based around the most recent game in the series Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

“As is clear from the wild success of the game, Square Enix and Eidos-Montreal know how to exceed their audience’s expectations by engineering incredible worlds,” said Terry Press, co-president of CBS Films. “No one knows Human Revolution like the team that created it, and we look forward to working with them from day one to make a film adaptation worthy of the Deus Ex name.”

“As the millions of fans who have played the Deus Ex games for more than a decade will tell you, these games catapult you into a universe that is stimulating, engaging and relevant,” said Phil Rogers, president and CEO of Square Enix Europe. “We’re firm believers in building strong partnerships, and so we’re thrilled to be working with CBS Films on bringing the unique Deus Ex experience to the bigscreen.”

Source: Variety

Penny Arcade Kickstarter Raises Money, Despite Controversy

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Penny Arcade has announced a unique Kickstarter to get ads off of their site for the next year, allowing them to concentrate on other projects rather than trying to get sponsorship. While the announcement has come with a small amount of controversy – some wondering if it’s a proper use of the Kickstarter platform – the project has already raised over $150,000 from more than 2,000 backers.

“We’ve committed to a pretty shocking reconfiguration of our company, and we’re going to need all hands on deck to do so,” reads the Penny Arcade appeal page. “Their Pledge system streamlines this process considerably. It’s also incredibly transparent, with a bright green bar that goes up in real time so you can see what is happening.”

Source: Kickstarter.com

Email Still Effective For Marketing

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Latest data from marketers surveyed shows that email is still considered the most successful digital marketing tactic. A significant majority of marketers worldwide (67 percent) rated email the most successful digital marketing tactic, according to May 2012 data from the CMO Council.. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) showed improvement in US email open rates and clickthrough rates (CTR) for both in-house and prospect-intended emails in 2012, as compared to 2010.

Part of the increase in efficiency is due to advances in the technology for email marketing. More personalized, relevant email marketing programs result in increased engagement rates. However, more personalized forms of email communication do not necessarily result in higher sales: Conversion rates for both house and prospect lists declined slightly from 2010 to 2012.

One reason for this decline could be the growing number of digital touchpoints with which email must share its influence. Consumers who once converted directly from emails now find opportunities to convert elsewhere, such as on social media, via search or through a retargeted display ad. Companies with the ability to track multichannel attribution should be able to more accurately determine which marketing influences are in fact grabbing greater conversion share.

Source: Emarketer.com

Exclusive: Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka Talks Brand Longevity

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by Meelad Sadat

Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka gave a frank assessment of his company’s strategy for creating entertainment brands with longevity at GamesBeat 2012. Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer at the game maker best known for Angry Birds, was speaking at a fireside chat moderated by Steve Fowler, GM of [a]list games.

Vesterbacka kicked off the session with a video trailer highlighting Rovio’s next game, Amazing Alex. It’s based on IP created by indie developers Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut, which they released into mobile app stores a little more than a year ago as Casey’s Contraptions. Rovio acquired it in May of this year. They’ve since re-branded the game, and are in the process of re-launching it.

To start the discussion, Vesterbacka revealed that 30 percent of Rovio revenue last year came from physical products. On display at his speaking session was merchandise that very likely attributed to that total, with Vesterbacka donning an Angry Birds hoodie and keeping a few stuffed dolls on stage that he later launched into the crowd.

Rovio wasn’t an overnight success. The company put out more than 50 games before it had a mega hit with Angry Birds. It taught the company that the first step to building a following is to make a good game. They won’t talk about building a fan base – the game has to do that.

“You build great entertainment, that’s a good start,” said Vesterbacka. “You have to be serious about marketing as well, but it starts with the game. The game has to earn the right for us to talk about fans.”

Once you have a hit, he added, you chase it. Rovio wants to create a circle of products that support key brands. They want people to play a game, see a TV show based on it, buy the toys. It’s what they’re doing with Angry Birds, which now has an animated show on Nickelodeon.

“We built the biggest distribution network on the planet. We want to be the first entertainment property with one billion fans.”

Vesterbacka said China is Rovio’s fastest growing market. “We’ve been very successful outside of the U.S.,” he said.

In response to expanding into less policed territories where piracy is more common, Rovio’s solution is opening retail stores, with locations first in Shanghai and Beijing. “We want to create a better experience to get our products, rather than use legal means,” Vesterbacka said.

When asked what can Rovio teach an indie or start-up developer about building brands, Vesterbacka said, “You want to look at what you become when you grow up. You need to be serious about marketing. Make a great game, but that’s half the battle.”

But there’s no easy answer, he admitted. It’s not about simply acquiring users and calculating the cost to acquire each new one. “It’s a slippery slope. You keep having to spend money to acquire users, and that’s not sustainable.”

Rovio sees IP incubation through a long term lens. “We think where do want to be in two years, or ten years,” said Vesterbacka. “We’re building an entertainment company. I’m really convinced that there will be a number of big brands coming from platforms like iOS.”

They see Mickey Mouse and Mario as examples that Rovio can follow with Angry Birds and Amazing Alex. “You don’t have to be a Hollywood studio to build an entertainment franchise anymore.”

Chuck E. Cheese Gets A New Look

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Chuck E. Cheese, the pizza parlors with arcade games and singing animatronics that was launched by Atari founder Nolan Bushmell 35 years ago, is getting a new look for its mascot. The rascally rodent is getting an edgier look, sporting jeans and an electric guitar along with his trademark purple-and-green shirt.

The mascot will be voiced by Jaret Reddick, the front man for Bowling for Soup, a pop-punk band. Reddick has already done voice work for Disney’s animated show Phineas and Ferb. Starting Tuesday, new ads will start running featureing the new look. The campaign, called “Chuck E. Rocks”, was developed by the Richards Group.

Source: L.A. Times

Tweets For Sweets With Toyota Etios

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Toyota ran a campaign with their new car called Etios in South Africa which encouraged people passing by to tweet what made them smile to #EtiosSmiles. Those that did got to witness a Rube Goldberg machine that hands out sweets.

Tiny Wings 2 Plays A Little Music Box

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Promoting the sequel to the phenomenon Tiny Wings is a cute little trailer that takes the Google route of simplicity. Using a simple music sheet and the tiny bird on a wire, it recreates the basic premise of the game in analog form.