With his introduction back in 1991 on the 16-bit Sega Genesis console, Sonic the Hedgehog became both a popular mascot and brand name for Sega. Although Sonic Dash has seen great success on mobile, the same can’t be said for games like Sonic Boom, based on the Cartoon Network series, which ended up selling just under 500,000 units overall. This led company president and CEO Hajime Satomi to apologize to fans and vow to make things right for Sonic lovers.
Today, we may have seen another step toward revitalizing the Sonic brand, just in time for the series’ 25th anniversary this coming June. Speaking with TheWorldFolio, Satomi has announced a team-up between Sega and Sony Pictures that will bring the speedy hero to the big screen. “Sega Sammy Group is currently planning with Sony Pictures to create a live action and animation hybrid Sonic the Hedgehog movie scheduled for release in 2018,” he confirmed.
Very few details are known about the film at this time, aside from how its live action and CG hybrid format sounds a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Still, news of the film is a major step in rebuild not only its Sonic brand, but also Sega itself.
“The Sega brand first became famous as an arcade machine and then with the home video game consoles. The Sonic character was largely popular with those machines and consoles,” said Satomi in his interview. “Unfortunately, we eventually withdrew from the home video game console business. However, our name and brand is still out there because of the famous characters from people’s childhood. We would like to change, adjust or shift our product, brand and business with the current era to be a leader again in the future.”
Entertainment will take primary focus with the company, including movies like the upcoming Sonic feature. Games will continue to play a part in the company’s plans, as it is rumored to be hard at work on a new Sonic title for the holiday season, which will likely be revealed at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June. The show will be held during the same month as Sonic‘s 25th anniversary, Sega might take full advantage of the timing.
Sonic joins a group of forthcoming films based on video games, including three coming this year – Sony’s adaptation of Angry Birds, Gramercy Pictures’ animated Ratchet & Clank adventure, and Ubisoft’s live-action take on Assassin’s Creed, featuring Steve Jobs actor Michael Fassbender.
How fast Sonic can turn things around has yet to be seen, but here’s hoping that Sega’s new focus on entertainment and quality can help him get back up to speed.
This year’s Super Bowl was a big hit, with more than 111.9 million viewers tuning in to see the big game, along with some unforgettable commercials. However, not everyone seemed to benefit.
Marketing Land recently reported that Super Bowl-related posts on Facebook and Twitter saw a slight drop over last year’s numbers. While both sites still saw moderately strong traffic, with 27 million tweets and 200 million social interactions, these were slight drops from last year.
When Super Bowl 2015 played out, Twitter saw 28.4 million tweets during the big game, while Facebook reported an estimated 265 million interactions. That’s a five percent drop and a 25 percent drop, respectively.
About 60 million users posted some form of Super Bowl interaction on Facebook this year, compared to 65 million from last year – about an eight percent decrease.
Instagram also saw a decent amount of traffic this year, with 38 million people posting across 155 million interactions. Though previous numbers weren’t reported, it’s a safe bet that the company is quite happy with the news.
As for the reasoning behind the drop on Facebook and Twitter, many believe that the contest just wasn’t as exciting as last year’s. While the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos delivered a good contest (which ended with a victory for Denver), some felt it didn’t compare to last year’s match-up between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Plus, some felt that last year’s Super Bowl ads were more “buzzworthy”, led by Liam Neeson’s memorable spot for Clash of Clans.
That said, social media was still buzzing, and Twitter decided to focus more on the positive aspects of the Super Bowl. It recently sent out a tweet boasting about the 4.3 billion views of football-related tweets both on and off Twitter.
Twitter total audience: 4.3B views of #SB50 Tweets on & off Twitter, based on 27m Tweets (inc. pre/post game) pic.twitter.com/ZZnGvHgwJH
Not everyone saw a decrease in numbers from the Super Bowl, however. Snapchat, teaming up with Gatorade for a special sponsored lens promotion, featuring pro tennis player, Serena Williams.
Kicking off just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, the ad, which enabled Snapchat users to look like they have football-style eye black on and have a giant container of Gatorade dumped on them, managed to generate 100 million views over the course of the day. It managed to gain a huge amount of attention on the app through private sharing with friends and posting on Stories feeds.
While unique visitors weren’t broken down, this is still good news for Snapchat and its growing audience, and proof that its advertising model is effective, albeit pricey. According to Re/code, holiday sponsored lenses are worth $750,000 per lens, which could apply to the Super Bowl.
For now, neither Facebook nor Twitter are concerned with the drop in users, but next year’s Super Bowl could tell a different story.
When it comes to fighting games, none have the longstanding history or reputation of the Street Fighter series. The newest addition, Street Fighter V, releases next week on February 16th and it promises to rewrite the rules with a new approach toward storytelling and planned post-release DLC content. And let’s not forget Street Fighter‘s ever-growing eSports league.
Matt Dahlgren, Director of Brand Marketing at Capcom, talks to [a]listdaily about how Street Fighter‘s enduring warrior spirit is set to take on the world once again.
In what ways does Street Fighter V bring the fighting game franchise to an all-new level?
Street Fighter V is a game that learns from all of its predecessors, both in terms of gameplay and in terms of how we support the product long term.
It has a new core gameplay mechanic called the Variable system, which is very simple to use and helps bring out the individuality of every member of the cast. Every character has a unique V-Skill and V-Trigger, both executed by only pressing two buttons at the same time. Each V-Skill adds a new level of utility to a character, like a new movement option, a parry, or a way to deal with a projectile. The character’s V-Trigger unleashes their true potential, and intensifies the aspects that the character is known for. Ryu gains the ability to charge up his Hadokens, Chun-Li gets multi-hit properties on all her attacks, and Ken gets to go bonkers with his flame attacks. The fighting is very intuitive and much closer to the original formula, which made the series great, so it is the perfect time for newcomers to join the action.
We have also transitioned how we handle development. We will continue to developing the product post launch, and as new content is finished, it will be released. We want to reward our players who stay engaged with the game, so we have a new in-game currency called Fight Money, which can be used to earn post launch content for free. Anything that can affect the outcome of a match needs to be earnable. Our new system also promises free balance adjustments throughout the lifespan of the product, and as an ever-evolving platform, there will always be something to look forward to in the future.
Additionally, we have a rapidly growing eSports league, The Capcom Pro Tour, with over 40 major events worldwide and at least a half million dollars up for grabs. The future will continue to have record setting opportunities for our competitive players, and this is the most exciting time to be a Street Fighter fan.
With a brand new iteration of a beloved franchise and a progressive new player friendly strategy, the launch of Street Fighter V is going to mark the start of a new era of fighting games.
How have you been getting the word about the new features and characters?
We worked with this agency called Ayzenberg, not sure if you’ve heard of them, but they helped us create some pretty killer trailers to celebrate each of our character announcements, as well as our TV spots which are currently running.
We are also console exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and have a huge partnership in place with Sony. They have helped us immensely to spread the word about Street Fighter V, and they share our vision for what we can accomplish with the fighting genre.
Street Fighter also runs a very heavy event circuit, both with our Capcom Pro Tour events and strong presence at just about every major gaming trade show. Our Street Fighter fans are very culturally diverse and artistic, and help us promote the game as well.
What are some of the challenges in promoting a long-standing series like Street Fighter, especially now that it has so many characters in its roster?
Yes, when you have such a huge roster of characters in the Street Fighter universe, it is difficult to appease everyone when you are starting off with only 16. But, at least at the beginning of the game’s lifespan, we want to make it easy for players to find their character of choice, as well as ensure that every character is truly unique. As an ever growing platform, there is still hope that your favorite character will get implemented into the game, and you have the ability to voice your opinion on who you’d like to see.
But I think the real difficulty in promoting Street Fighter isn’t the roster, it’s the fact that it requires a lot of effort from the player. Like a real martial art, getting good comes with its fair share of cuts and bruises, and being a 1-on-1 game, there is nothing to blame your loss on but yourself. A lot of people love the characters and universe, they are just a little nervous to play the game itself. But for those that push through and start improving, Street Fighter delivers an intense form of competition that anyone can enjoy.
Tell us about Street Fighter V’s new and unique approach toward storytelling.
For Street Fighter V, we have two types of story content. At launch, each character has an individual character story that will get the player familiar with each of the character’s personalities and motives for fighting.
In June, we are delivering a huge cinematic story expansion. This will be a first for the franchise and will bring the Street Fighter universe to life like never before. With over an hour of cinematics alone, this will be a very meaty update, and is the type of story content we believe our fans have been looking for.
The cinematic story update doesn’t release until June. How will you be promoting Street Fighter V’s single-player content until then?
At launch, we will have all of the character stories, as well as survival mode. Both of these modes should help players get familiar with the basics of the new engine, before taking the battle online. We also will be releasing challenges in the March update. All of these modes will also help the player generate Fight Money, so they can earn post launch content for free.
What has been the reaction to the Season Pass, which will be made up of characters that can be earned freely in-game?
This has definitely been the most positive reception we have had in terms of a business strategy for our fighting games. While releasing “Super” and “Ultra” editions in the past was necessary for that era of fighting games, it was misunderstood and somewhat confusing. This time around, players have way more freedom for how they can get content post launch, and if you play Street Fighter V regularly, we will happily give you much of it for free.
It’s been almost 28 years since Street Fighter first hit arcades. What is it about the series that helps it stand the test of time?
Street Fighter was the true innovator in the fighting game space. Often imitated, but nothing really compares to putting in that first quarter and going toe-to-toe with your opponent. That game started a cultural phenomenon and a new form of competition that anyone could participate in.
I also think the global influence of the game helps it resonate across the world. Every region has a true fighting spirit, and people love to root for their hometown. I think the message of being a World Warrior, and travelling across the world to be the best you can be, is a strong message that hits home with a lot of people out there.
Stugan, the non-profit games accelerator launched by Sweden’s top video game developers and entrepreneurs, is preparing to launch the first game to come through its inaugural program. And it’s also opened the application process for its 2016 summer program.
Twenty aspiring game developers will be selected to spend eight weeks with all expenses paid in a traditional Swedish cabin, or “Stugan” in the Swedish countryside, where they will be supported and mentored by developers from Rovio, Mojang, King, Resolution Games, Avalanche Studios, Snowprint Studios, and others, while building their games. Unlike traditional accelerator programs, all participants will keep the rights to the games they work on.
Applications will be accepted today through March 31, 2016. The application process is simple and includes a 90 second video, where applicants present themselves and their game idea, along with a short written description of themselves, the game and the goal they want to reach. Applicants can be for games developers across any platform and from anywhere in the world.
The first game to come out of Stugan (and at least three more will follow) is launching across iOS devices in mid-February. _Prism, which was created by Clint Siu, challenges players manipulate shapes and patterns to unfold sacred geometry with push and pull of cinematic design, mythology, and intuitive touch exploration. Siu attributes much of his progress on the game to his time at Stugan, where mentors and other teams helped him hone his skills and discover news ones.
Stugan manager Jana Karlikova and Tommy Palm, co-founder and CEO of Resolution Games, talk about the lessons learned from Stugan, and what’s still to come from this program, in this exclusive interview.
What separated _Prism from the other games that were created?
Jana:_Prism was one of the games that were created especially for Stugan. Clint Siu wanted to apply for Stugan so he came up with _Prism. It is a visually stunning journey through a microcosmic galaxy entirely made by a single individual. It is always very impressive when somebody masters programming, level design, sound effects and visual arts.
How are you helping to market and promote this game?
Tommy: In a way, that is outside the scope of Stugan. On the other hand, a lot of the mentors and publicity has been focused on giving the participants a platform to stand on for a launch. The interest for Clint’s game seems to be quite widespread.
What other games have potential to be released publicly from the original Stugan?
Jana: The release of the games after the scope of Stugan are not in our hands any more, but I believe that most of the games from Stugan 2015 are going to be released publicly. To name a few, Planetoid Pioneers, 20,000 Leagues Above the Clouds and Induction are other projects that are on their way to release.
What did you learn from the first Stugan that you’re applying to this summer’s program?
Jana: From the beginning there had been many challenges. From finding the perfect location through the whole application process and finding the best mentors to the whole logistics of having 23 people with different cultural backgrounds spending eight weeks together. Personally, I found that last part to be the most challenging, as I lived in the cabin with the participants. I was making sure everything ran smoothly and was coordinating the visits of mentors and journalists. We are going to apply this whole experience to Stugan 2016 and will make sure to constantly evolve the program.
How has the media attention surrounding the first program opened things up for Stugan in 2016 from a sponsorship level?
Tommy: This year sponsors knew much more about Stugan because of the high level of media interest and discussion from participants and mentors. We managed to secure more private funding this year than last year.
What impact has it had on mentors and bringing game developers in to help?
Jana: We received very positive feedback from our mentors. Each mentor spent some time having creative dialogs with the teams about their games and different aspects of game development. What we saw was that the mentors became very inspired and energized and felt that they would have liked to spend even more time with each team.
How has interest from potential participants increased even at this early stage for Stugan?
Jana: We have already received a number of emails from people who want to apply asking for when the applications will open. Based on the attention Stugan 2015 got we expect to get even more applications this time. Our last year’s participants, sponsors and mentors have become our ambassadors and are helping to spread the news.
What type of inquiries have you received from around the world in terms of interest in trying to replicate what you’re doing?
Tommy: We have heard from several countries that they are interested in doing similar things. We currently have no plans of hosting Stugan outside of Sweden.
Why do you think a program like Stugan is important for the video game industry?
Jana: The games industry has always had a tradition of sharing success and lesson learned. In a way Stugan embodies that spirit and shows how projects benefit from collaboration outside the boundaries of the company. We hope and think that it can also serve as a source of inspiration to higher education and deeper interest for game development.
The mobile market continues to expand in many ways, thanks to a number of quality apps and games that keep consumers coming back. With that, China has proven to be a strong market when it comes to mobile, as a new report by Niko Partners (via GamesIndustry International) shows.
Its report shows that the mobile growth rate in China has already reached its peak growth, but that doesn’t mean money will be dropping out anytime soon. The market managed to generate $5.5 billion domestically over the past year, along with an additional $1.3 billion from exports.
Niko stated that we haven’t seen anything yet, as it expects the market to reach $11.1 billion in just three years’ time, by 2019. Google Play will likely play a big part in that, thanks to increased Android revenues and ad campaigns featuring various foreign celebrities.
The report also notes that eSports will see a great amount of expansion, with more interest in investment when it comes to competitive gaming. Thanks to this growth, Internet cafes are seeing more business than ever before, with more and more players taking part in MOBA-based games like League of Legends and DOTA 2, amongst others. This indicates that the Chinese market isn’t just thriving from mobile games, but also PC titles.
Niko noted that 40 percent of overall revenue for the past year came from the top 10 mobile games on the market, with 420 million gamers in all. However, that number is also expected to rise, reaching as far as 570 million gamers by 2019.
One other area where the Chinese gaming market could thrive is virtual reality. Even though it won’t be as widely accepted by consumers as some companies are hoping, Niko believes that there’s potential, especially with public demonstrations of virtual reality gear at events like the China Joy show, which is considered one of the country’s biggest trade events. Other notable factors in the report include an increase in domestic investment, as well as more games featuring properties that are based outside of China (potentially from Western developers). That said, some companies should be aware of the higher development costs and copycat developments that emerge as a result.
Not everything was positive in the report, as consoles like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One aren’t quite making as big an impact as hoped. However, there’s still time for them to grow, especially with more properties that worldwide audiences can relate to, such as Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
With that, AdWeek reports how programs on television could not only cater to a bigger audience, but assist brands in reaching out to hard-to-grasp millennials by pairing up with such programming.
For example, the TBS series, which will premiere this May, kicks off ten weeks of competition in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a first-person shooter that finds appeal with male and female audiences alike. The article notes, however, that a certain challenge comes with E-League needing to find the right balance between scale and retaining a core audience.
Turner Sports EVP of production and chief content officer Craig Barry made note of said challenge. “(We understand) our obligation to the hardcore fan. Once you have that emotional connection, you open the door to a wider audience.”
Brands will find a way to connect as well, though some will wonder if the transition to TV will be effective. “(Gamers) kind of developed their own ecosystem,” said Jason Maltby, director of national broadcast television for MindShare. “It will be very interesting to see if you can get somebody who’s grown-up finding these events in the digital space to come back to a linear environment.”
But a connection can be made, as several partners have found success in the eSports world, including Logitech, Asus and HTC. “Advertisers need to be open to a less traditional approach of integrating their brand into the actual content,” explained Barry.
Some tips were also provided for brands attempting to reach out to new audience members.
Creating your own eSports event
Sometimes sponsorship isn’t the answer – but hosting your own special tournament, as Red Bull and Intel have done in the past, is. “Intel is probably the biggest eSports brand,” explained Mathieu Lacrouts, founder and CEO of eSports ad agency Hurrah.
It helps to put worth behind your brand
Finding the way that your brand can cater to a gaming audience is essential. “You’ve got to find which one of those actually layers into the eSports environment,” explained Dave Rosenberg with GMR. Comcast/Xfinity recently found a way to do this with its Internet service, even going as far as appearing at game events like PAX.
Pro gamers have a lot of influence
Sometimes, reaching out directly to gamers to advertise your brand can be effective – just ask Rooster Teeth or TheSyndicateProject. “This community know that this is what is keeping these guys’ lights on,” said Raymonde Brillantes-Green, vice president and group director of media for Digitas.
Don’t underestimate gamers
Trying to implant a brand that doesn’t feel like a fit is not only awkward, but incredibly noticeable by the community. “I would really stress education,” said Alex Fletcher, founder and CEO for Entiva Group. Failing to follow this advice will result in a call-out by the community. “They’re not going to be afraid to express their opinion,” added Brillantes-Green.
eSports are a key opportunity to reach out to a wide community, but it has to be done the right way. A newfound television audience could be a great way for these companies to make an impact. Provided they do it right, of course.
“Today, eSports doesn’t necessarily need TV to succeed but it will help to usher in greater widespread acceptance and advertisement opportunities,” said EEDAR business analyst Ed Zhao, speaking previously with [a]listdaily.
With the Oculus Rift launching next month, and other headsets like the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR expected to follow sometime soon, 2016 will be a milestone year for virtual reality technology. That’s partly why the Vision Summit, an all-new event that showcases some of the best and brightest innovations in virtual and augmented reality, is the place to be this week.
Marcos Sanchez, head of global communications for Unity Technologies, joined [a]listdaily to discuss hosting the Vision Summit, which will include industry leaders from Oculus VR, Valve, Sony, and more, and to to talk about the future of this emerging technology.
Can you tell us what the Vision 2016 Virtual and Augmented Reality Summit is and what its goals are?
Taking place February 10 and 11 in Hollywood, California, the Vision VR/AR Summit will feature technology, business and consumer innovators as well as a wide array of informative breakout sessions designed for all skill levels. These more than 40 breakout sessions will cover the latest technologies and best practices, while revealing some of today’s most creative and inspiring projects, many of which will be recognized in the Vision VR/AR awards show. The full list of finalists can be found here. The event will include demos and sessions from the leading VR/AR technologies and platforms makers in the industry, such as PlayStation VR, Steam VR and Oculus VR, as well as an introduction to Windows Holographic from the Microsoft HoloLens team. Not to mention some interesting announcements from Unity.
In addition to acclaimed designer and storyteller Alex McDowell, the Summit has added industry luminaries Palmer Luckey, Founder of Oculus; Clay Bavor, Vice President of Virtual Reality at Google; Dr. Richard Marks, Director of the PlayStation Magic Lab, Sony Computer Entertainment; Dr. Jeff Norris, Mission Operations Innovation Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; John Riccitiello, CEO, and Joachim Ante, CTO of Unity Technologies, as its featured keynote speakers. The event will also feature a special address from Gabe Newell of Valve.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to demo new and award-winning experiences in the VR/AR Showcase, with four rooms of expertly curated content from around the globe and an incredible list of Showcase participants.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding VR/AR technology. How long do you think it will be before we will see mass consumer adoption?
Augmented reality and virtual reality are just beginning to gain traction as we see a convergence between the availability of consumer grade headsets and truly compelling content in the form of games and experiences. Of course, this will take some time to reach critical mass, but the space itself is seeing investment and interest levels that mean it’s here to stay.
We see the VR/AR Vision Summit as a great meeting ground for innovators, indies, developers, designers and hardware companies, and a place where important dialogue can occur to push the space to the next level. To the question of how long mass adoption will take? That’s a hard thing to gauge exactly, but certainly over the next few years, we’re going to see a hockey stick upward in terms of adoption levels. That’s going to be driven as much by the hardware and costs as it is by developers and artists creating amazing experiences, many of which you’ll be able to see at the show.
What have been some of the most impressive or innovative VR/AR projects you’ve seen so far?
There are quite a few stunning examples, many of which will be on display at the Vision VR/AR Summit in the Vision Showcase. The Showcase will feature a wide array of projects, including exciting and imaginative VR and AR games, tools, entertainment, social applications, art projects, architecture and educational programs.
One example was created by one of the Keynote speakers, Alex McDowell and the Leviathan project. The project’s reception at the Sundance festival was overwhelmingly positive, and an indicator of the public’s appetite for VR/AR. Check out the full list on our website and make sure to stop by, enjoy the experiences, and talk to the developers about their tips and tricks in developing for VR.
What are some of the challenges developers struggle with when promoting VR/AR technology?
VR is a game-changing technology, but it can be difficult to show people how truly unique VR is without first-hand experience. Great VR content is already available, but videos and images of VR games and videos don’t quite do them justice. To help drive adoption, it’s critical to raise awareness and provide more people demos and access to hardware.
The industry has made great strides toward that over the last year, launching a variety of consumer headsets such as Google Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR, and more advanced headsets such as Oculus, Microsoft HoloLens, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR will be available in the coming months.
As the technology continues to grow over the coming years, what would you say is the most important thing for users and developers to keep in mind about it?
Mass adoption of VR/AR won’t happen overnight but it will happen, and it will be driven as much by indie developers pushing the creative boundaries, as by larger more established content and game creators. Further, consumer applications are only part of the story, enterprise and corporate applications abound, and will most certainly play a role in adoption.
Being at the center of that by providing content and game creators both big and small, with a place to make their dreams come to life is pretty exciting. We’ll not only facilitate the solving of hard problems in creation, but also help make them successful by bringing their titles and offerings to life across a spectrum of devices. As much as it is about creating something amazing, we want them to reach the biggest audiences possible.
Game advertising returned to the Super Bowl stage, and we have the details on how marketing scored at least one touchdown.
The massive cultural event known as Super Bowl 50 is over, and while there was clear winner on the field (congrats, Broncos!) there was an even fiercer competition going in amongst the advertisers. For many people, watching Super Bowl advertising is as interesting (or more interesting!) than watching the football action. This year we have Machine Zone placing a cool $5 million advertising buy for its relatively new game Mobile Strike, and The Pokemon Company dropping in a well-regarded ad for the Pokémon 20th anniversary year-long celebration. What’s the marketing impact been for these game companies? Let’s take a closer look.
Last year we saw game advertising jump into the biggest of the big advertising leagues with Super Bowl ads from Supercell (for Clash of Clans), Machine Zone (for Game of War: Fire Age) and Ucool (for Heroes Charge). How have those games fared in the past year? As of today, Clash of Clans and Game of War: Fire Age occupy the #1 and #2 top-grossing slots on App Annie’s iOS charts, respectively, and the same positions in the Google Play store as well. So for them, at least, in the long run advertising in the Super Bowl certainly hasn’t hurt – that’s the same position they held last year. For Ucool’s Heroes Charge, the Super Bowl advertising was more of a short-term boost. The game’s position was up in the 20s for a time, but now the game is at #119 for Android and #80 for iOS on the top-grossing charts. Not bad, but it probably speaks more to the value of a sustained marketing effort over a one-time shot.
The Super Bowl hasn’t turned into a game ad mecca, no doubt because prices still remain high ($5 million for a 30-second spot). Still, Machine Zone returned to the Super Bowl, this time with an ad for its new military strategy mobile game Mobile Strike, which came out last year. The ad, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger (who has been the promotional face of the game since its launch), shows Schwarzenegger in a variety of shots recalling some of his iconic movie roles, all while mixing in graphics of virtual armies battling. Check it out:
Mobile Strike is currently rocking a #5 position on App Annie’s iOS top-grossing charts, and #6 for the Google Play charts. Clearly, Machine Zone has been successful in establishing the game with a significant audience, and the company must feel that its investment last year in a Super Bowl ad was money well-spent. It’s hard to argue with that sort of position on the top-grossing charts.
The more unusual game marketing play comes from The Pokémon Company, which aired a 30-second spot for its 20th anniversary celebration. The ad also had a 60-second version with The Pokémon Company released prior to the Super Bowl, and you can see it below:
This Super Bowl ad was one of the top viral ads to come out of the Super Bowl, according to Adweek. They rated the ad ‘Pokemon20’ #4 on their Most Viral list with 297,706 shares. Perhaps more importantly, though, The Pokémon Company was very crafty in how they positioned the ad and laid all the marketing groundwork for it, resulting in the ad getting top engagement scores from Engagement Labs, as reported by Adweek. The numbers were compiled based on engagement, impact, and responsiveness, measured by clicks, likes, and comments. Pokemon20 racked up the top eValue score of 84.23, easily besting Walt Disney Pictures’ The Jungle Book at 77.22. This was no doubt aided by the release of the ad prior to the Super Bowl.
It’s interesting to note that Pokemon20 isn’t aimed at one particular product – instead, it’s looking to get fans excited all over again about the brand and the wide variety of products. Indeed, The Pokémon Company has set up a special website to honor the anniversary and showcase some of the products that fans will be able to experience this year. And it’s not just products, but special events being planned, too.
It’s a lengthy list, too. This spring will see Pokémon Tournament coming out for the Wii U, where your pokémon can be controlled directly in battle. Then there’s the mobile game Pokémon Go, Pokémon amiibo coming out soon, digital downloads of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow for the 3DS. That will be joined by a New Nintendo 3DS Pokémon 20th Anniversary Bundle, available February 27.
That’s not even mentioning the Pokémon trading card game (TCG) which will have a special expansion and plenty of special new booster packs coming out. Or the retail events taking place at GameStop throughout 2016 where fans can download special Pokémon and get unique items. There’s the release of 12 full-length Pokémon feature films for digital download from iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, as well as the first three available on DVD and Blu-Ray. And, of course, an array of all-new merchandise including apparel, accessories, toys, and souvenirs.
Fans are, of course, being encouraged to share their thoughts via social media. That’s standard – but what isn’t standard, and should be, is the sheer quantity of information the The Pokémon Company is putting out to really supercharge the desire of fans to talk. There’s plenty of product information, an in-depth look at twenty years of product history, news releases about upcoming events, and plenty of videos, pictures, and media for fans to obsess over.
That’s the part that many marketers don’t put sufficient effort into – providing grist for the social media mill. That’s what makes this effort special, and why it makes sense to spend so much money on a Super Bowl ad to kick off the whole marketing effort. That Pokemon20 ad isn’t about selling one product, however important that product might be. There’s a vast array of ways for Pokémon fans to spend their money on the brand this year, and the Super Bowl ad is a high-profile way to reach millions of fans and underscores the impressive nature of the whole campaign.
The downside of creating a Super Bowl ad that only applies in general to a brand is that tracking effectiveness becomes more difficult, if you’re looking to see exactly how many dollars in sales you can directly attribute to that $5 million ad spend. Still, there are plenty of indirect metrics that can and will be collected.
The interesting point is that after last year’s Super Bowl, there was reason to believe we might see even more game ads during the Super Bowl – especially mobile games, with the continuing rise in user acquisition costs. In fact, though, we saw the opposite, with only Machine Zone stepping up to pay the price. Perhaps mobile game publishers are entering a more cautious phase when it comes to singular advertising opportunities like the Super Bowl. Traditional console and PC game advertising on television in general seems to have been reduced, as big publishers like Activision and Electronic Arts prefer to direct their efforts more through social media and other direct connections with customers. Videos, trailers, and commercials are still powerful tools – they just get distributed in a different and probably more cost-effective way via YouTube, Facebook, and other media.
With virtual reality set to make big bucks this year, competitors like the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are preparing for a big launch onto the market. However, Google has already seen modest success, having introduced an effective, affordable alternative with its Cardboard model. That isn’t stopping the company from trying something new, though.
FT.com reports that Google currently has a new virtual reality headset in the works, set to operate with a number of Android-compliant smartphones. According to the report, the evolution to the Cardboard model will feature better sensors and lenses, along with a better casing for more convenient wear. It’s said to have a lot in common with the Gear VR, and considering its accessibility to the VR market, it should be fairly easy to adapt to.
Google is also rumored to be preparing new Android VR technology that works specifically with it, and device the design will still allow users to conveniently slide their mobile phone device into it for use, rather than having to make adjustments for a pre-set display.
Not much is known about the new software at the moment, but Google appears to be building it from the ground up to work specifically with the Android smartphone operating system itself, instead of the traditional app that Cardboard currently uses.
Cardboard’s successor has been hinted at for a while now, with Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai stating that it was “just the first step” in its virtual reality business last week. “Beyond these early efforts, you’ll see a lot more from us and our partners in 2016.”
Now it’s just a matter of seeing whether this new headset will be as embraced as Cardboard has become. There’s no doubt the cost will be a little bit higher, especially with the utilization of new technology, but the experience could be worth it to some, especially those who can’t spend hundreds of dollars on a virtual reality experience.
We’ll see what the virtual future holds for Google in just a few months’ time.
In Rainbow Six: Siege, elite forces go head-to-head as defenders fortify their positions against incoming attackers that can breach through walls and ceilings. This competitive setup is perfect for eSports, and but Ubisoft is taking an extra step by partnering with ESL and Microsoft to launch two simultaneous leagues across the PC and Xbox One. Never before in ESL history has a company started two simultaneous leagues, but Ubisoft is up to the ambitious task.
[a]listdaily speaks to Alexandre Remy, Brand Director at Ubisoft for Rainbow Six, about how Rainbow Six is breaking into eSports in a big way with the Rainbow Six Pro League.
What convinced Ubisoft to partner with ESL and Microsoft to create a Rainbow Six Pro League?
Competition is a big part of it the Rainbow Six legacy. The franchise has a strong history of competition since the late 90s with the first games on PC and later with Vegas and Vegas 2 on Xbox.
The other big factor is the team’s DNA. Most of the developers on Siege are avid shooter players and have experience in competitive games in one way or another. So, when we started this game in 2013, it was an ‘easy’ decision to design it with competition in mind.
From a design perspective, we knew we wanted to build a solid competitive shooter and worked hard to make a game that could reach this potential, delivering steady 60 fps, building dedicated servers and creating a game with a high skill ceiling.
The game is still young and is showing potential for esports, but we are not an esports game yet, like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or StarCraft who have been on the field for years. We feel we have something that is compatible with the esports scene; but ultimately it’s up to the players and the community to decide.
Ubisoft is making history by running two simultaneous Rainbow Six Siege pro league tournaments across the Xbox One and Windows PC. Why go with such a large undertaking instead of sticking to one platform?
We are indeed in a unprecedented situation today, with a AAA game franchise launching a global esports program on two platforms.
But Rainbow is a special beast. It has its roots in PC and later became popular on Xbox. So, when we discussed with ESL the platform of choice for competition, we knew we had to do both. As soon as we pitched the project to Microsoft, they stepped up and expressed a high interest in supporting a console league. And it is for the best, with players from both console and PC being able to follow platform specific competitions and teams. This hopefully makes our program reach a bigger audience and engage more members of the Rainbow Six community.
What will be some of the challenges in promoting two leagues simultaneously?
The two leagues are very similar in terms of scope, format, number of team invited, prize money; the main difference is that they run on two platforms and have dedicated match & broadcast’s schedules.
We indeed face a challenge of communication and information, to ensure viewers and participants know when to tune in.
What are the features that make Siege ideal for eSports competition?
As early as conception, competition has been a key driver in our choices: we ran internal tournaments every 5 weeks as a way to playtest the game, we had several Pro Teams and experts from established games as consultants.
Doing internal tournaments and talking with competitive players exposed us to the level of discipline and requirements needed to create an esports title. When you have the most talented and dedicated gamers play through your game, it is going to be pushed to its limits as they will try to exploit any weakness there is. It is a tremendous chance to work with such players as it helps us develop a better game. And that benefits all your player base.
How does Siege stand out against established eSports like Call of Duty or Counter-strike?
Rainbow Six has a special place in the shooter genre as, in a way, it’s the father of tactical shooters. Before Counter-strike,Arma or Ghost Recon, there was Rainbow.
In terms of gameplay, all Rainbow games are a blend between reflex shooting and thoughtful planning. With Siege, we tried to keep Rainbow’s legacy intact while introducing game-changing features like procedural destruction and our operator system.
The difference in pacing – slow and tense; the importance of sound – key to locate your enemy; and the overall brutality of the firefights – one-shot-one-kill lethality, combine to make Siege feel different from most shooters on the market. In the shooter genre, Rainbow Six has carved its place over the past decade with its focus on tactics and teamplay.
Does the Rainbow Six Pro League signal the start of an even bigger entry into eSports, with upcoming games like The Division and For Honor?
We have nothing to announce at this time, but we shall see!
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