GTA V Early Pre-Order Bonuses Announced

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Reports are that pre-order customers of Grand Theft Auto V will receive photo viewer keychains showing off the sights of Los Santos including the Vespucci Canals, Zancudo River, Grapeseed and Vinewood Hills. At GameStop, players also receive a double-sided poster.

Additionally, a new trailer is coming soon, after being delayed due to weather. “We are working on a second trailer – unfortunately Hurricane Sandy has derailed our plans somewhat but we will have something to show soon. It’s hard to be precise as we have no power whatsoever in our New York office. We hope everyone else in affected areas is doing okay.”

Source: IGN.com

IPad Mini Sells Out In New York

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Reports are that the iPad mini sold out at all stores that were open in New York. While many stores were closed in the Manhattan area due to the storm, there were lines around the block where they were open.

Supplies of the iPad mini are sold out at Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store, with white and silver models gone within 30 minutes, said Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White. “The iPad mini is off to a strong start and we believe this will be the next star in the Apple portfolio,” White said.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Halo 4 Cross Promotions Galore

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Microsoft has rolled out the cross promotions for Halo 4 in an attempt to make the game the biggest in the history of the franchise. Pizza Hut is offering the Halo 4 Stuffed Crust pizza featuring a “golden halo” of Red Leicester cheese.

Doritos and Mountain Dew is also releasing specially marked Halo 4 products that give you access to double XP and exclusive items, like the Custom Locust Helmet. Find out more at DewXP.com.

There’s also a Halo 4 iOS app that gives players the option to become “king of the hill” by scanning Mountain Dew and Doritos products to earn bonus prizes. Download the app at iTunes.com.

FishVille, Treasure Isle To Close December 5

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Zynga revealed that Treasure Isle and FishVille will be officially closed December 5. These games will be the first of 13 that Zynga will eliminate in the months to come.

FishVille has 730,000 MAUs and 70,000 DAUs, though at the game’s peak it had 7.45 million DAUs. Treasure Isle has 540,000 MAUs and 80,000 DAUs.

These closings are part of a major restructuring announced by Zynga that will close their studio in Boston, reduce its workforce in Austin and severely curtail its studios in the U.K. and Japan.

Wreck-It Ralph Smashes $49 Million At Box Office

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Wreck-It Ralph managed to rack up $49.1 million during its first weekend at the box office. This makes it the biggest debut for an animated Disney film at the box office, replacing 2010’s Tangled.

What’s more, the movie has managed mostly positive reviews, managing about 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The family film, laced with old-school arcade nostalgia, is expected to perform very well until it receives animated competition from Rise of the Guardians.

Source: MTV.com

Wii U Advertising Campaign Launch Video

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Nintendo is rolling out its TV advertising campaign for the Wii U, and it’s clearly aimed towards a mainstream audience and attempting to show off the functionality of the Wii U’s GamePad. Along with lots of smiling happy families we get the slogan of the system: “How U Will Play Next.”

Facebook App Search Points To Big Plans

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Facebook has added a search function into its App Center, raising speculation that it plans to soon introduce search ads for app developers. The site is already giving developers the option to promote their apps through Sponsored Results.

TechCrunch says of the new feature, “That sets the stage for ads within App Center. This prediction falls right in line with Facebook’s strategy to become the leading source of app discovery outside of the official Apple App Store and Google Play marketplace — where no ads appear. It believes that with social recommendations and quality ratings based on how often people actually use an app, it can help us find apps better than simple ranked lists based on downloads.”

Source: TechCrunch.com

Activision Announces Dog Tag Sale For Charity

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Activision Publishing announced that it will sell limited edition dog tags with the proceeds going to the Call of Duty Endowment. GameStop, Walmart, Toys R Us, Best Buy and Target will be carrying the $4.99 dog tags that will benefit the non-profit created to find employment for military veterans.

“Supporting our veterans as they re-enter the workforce is one of the most important priorities we have as citizens,” said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. “Our youngest veterans – those 18 – 24 years old- currently face an unemployment rate that is almost twice the national average of their non-veteran peer group, and this is unacceptable. With the sale of our limited edition Call of Duty Endowment dog tags, we are urging Americans to join us in the support of our heroes as they attempt to re-join the workforce.”

Mustang Customizer Comes To Xbox 360

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Ford’s Mustang Customizer has released for the Xbox 360. The mobile app is part of the company’s latest effort on the platform, having also had campaigns for the 2012 Fiesta, MKZ Hybrid and Focus models.

“We saw opportunity on Xbox in the sheer numbers on their service and the recent changes occurring on Xbox with more users spending time in apps and less time playing games,” said Ford/Lincoln Social & Emerging Media Analyst Brian McClary. “We were also excited to launch on this service because we would be one of the first few branded apps to launch on Xbox Live and like other emerging channels, we want to learn about how the consumer interacts here.”

The Customizer Xbox edition has capabilities not found on the desktop or mobile versions, like customization through voice and motion via Kinect as well as gear for players’ avatars. A contest also gives those who download the app the chance to win 10,000 Microsoft Xbox points.

Find out more about McClary and Ford’s marketing in this [a]list interview.

Source: Ad Age