Suchworks Brings Alpine Skiing To Life Through VR

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For London-based VR/AR studio, Suchworks, skiing is life. For the past year, these snow sport enthusiasts have been hard at work developing “virtual reality skiing technology” with the help of Fatmap—an innovator in 3D mapping technology for the outdoors. Whether you hit the slopes for real or prefer to do so from the comfort of home, Suchworks has a VR experience for you. Steve Such, CEO of Suchworks joined [a]listdaily to share the inspiration, technology and challenges of creating virtual reality ski experiences for two different demographics.

“There are two areas to the Suchworks ski business,” Such explained. “The gaming side has produced Alpine Ski VR which is going to be launched on the Oculus Store and Steam on December 16 and [will be] available for the Rift and HTC Vive. This is predominantly aimed at gamers, as its slalom and freestyle levels have a fun arcade feel to them.” Despite being accessible from home, Such is confident Alpine Ski VR will be a hit with real-life skiers. “It fully taps into the skier market,” he added, noting that there are 100 square kilometers (around 39 square miles) to ski in the game, accessible by helicopter.

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The Resort Ski Experience challenges players to experience realistic slopes 3D-mapped from the real thing. (Source: Suchworks)

Meanwhile, Resort Ski Experiences taps mainly into the ski market, targeting both the expert and the novice. Suchworks has presented its VR experience on the real slopes and at events, with positive results. “Experts loved to take a helicopter to the top of mountains they’d never usually be able to reach and try out new lines,” Such said, “whilst novices love just getting off the green slope and trying runs they wouldn’t potentially have access to for a few years.”

Of course, the ability to virtually ski a slope naturally lends itself to marketing for the real thing. Suchworks has partnered with the Three Valleys and will work toward many more resort partnerships in 2017. “There are some fantastic marketing implications of this program, the most obvious is allowing people to try out resorts and ski runs before they head off to their holiday,” added Such. “We’d like to move into real estate and allow people to have a virtual tour of their chalet before they book. We’re even in talks with ski manufacturers to create a simulator that will allow you to try out the different types of skis in VR before you buy them!”

For Such and his team, watching people try Resort Ski Experiences has been part of the fun. “To be honest, VR is still such a novel experience to have at events, a lot of people will come just to try VR out for VR itself,” Such explained. “It’s wonderful to see people’s reactions to it, we’ve had pro skiers that loved tearing down the slopes, [and] others that just liked flying around in the helicopter admiring the view.”

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Curious event-goers try out Resort Ski Experiences. (Source: Suchworks)

“Others would throw themselves on the floor to avoid the helicopter blades when it comes in to land and nearly launch themselves through the monitor when going over a cliff. No one really knows what to expect when they go into an experience like this—it’s their curiosity that’s drawn them in. Once out, they all seem to have very definite areas they’d like to return to and it’s always varied.”

While keeping skiers’ heads out of their monitors is a challenge, keeping players comfortable has been tricky.

“The biggest technical challenges we’ve faced were around creating a believable yet fun skiing model in VR that doesn’t leave the user with motion sickness,” said Such. “We’ve spent over a year tweaking and iterating this model, adding in realistic functionality, then taking it out realizing it doesn’t work in VR. Things like spins work without making you feel too dizzy, but as soon as we added in backflips as well, testers were practically ripping their headsets off to stop themselves feeling ill! You can carve down the slopes, but as soon as we added in a realistic skidding mechanism, it would have the same nauseating affect. We’re really happy with where the model is right now, but it’s been a long process trying to get it right!”

Someday, it may be possible to ski a slope, then book a resort trip within the same VR experience. In the meantime, it helps that Suchworks and Fatmap already know and love the industry enough to get the word out. These connections have helped the company gain traction at events, along with a partnership with Faction Skis, whose wares appear in the game. Alpine Ski VR will be available in the Oculus Store and Steam on December 16.

‘Racing Rivals’ Kicks Mobile Gaming Into High Gear

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Racing Rivals, the street racing game from Glu Mobile, kicked things up another gear recently with a new update that brought near console-quality graphics to the mobile game. The update also included six updated tracks (Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Rio, and London) and some hot additions to its collection of over 250 licensed cars. These included a Halloween celebration where three Hot Wheels-inspired vehicles (Bone Shaker, Twin Mill and Rip Rod) were included. However, the main attraction of the update is the fully customizable Acura NSX GT3, which is exclusive to Racing Rivals.

Glu Mobile’s VP of sports and racing games, Jerome Collin, recently spoke with [a]listdaily about taking on mobile gaming at top speed. He discussed how the latest update enhanced the racing experience.

“Our latest Racing Rivals update amplifies the thrill of being behind the wheel of a high-performance vehicle like never before,” said Collin. “The enhanced interface mimics real-world camera effects so players feel the adrenaline of starring in their own racing film right on their mobile device.”

Describing the Acura NSX GT3, which is exclusive to Racing Rivals, Collin said that “the Acura NSX GT3 is the ultimate street race car and a fan favorite both online and offline. Its exclusive addition to the game showcases the unique experience we’ve created: a racing club in which a test run of a dream car is a reality only a tap away.”

Collin also explained how a race car such as the Acura NSX GT3 fit in with the Hot Wheels vehicles. “Together, the two brands perfectly merge reality and fantasy to offer the best of both worlds for car lovers,” he said.

However, Racing Rivals isn’t the only high-speed game on mobile. When asked how the game stood out from the rest, Collin explained that “whether offering multiplayer matchups, which allow users to race against live opponents in real-time, or our gritty real-world street aesthetic with the chance of winning it all, Racing Rivals is designed for both the automotive enthusiast and adrenaline junkie alike.”

So, what’s Collin’s favorite car in the game? “Our selection of top cars makes it hard to select just one,” he said. “That said, I’ve always been a fan of McLaren and the 2014 12C GT3 is probably my favorite ride.”

Cheetos Ventures Into Branded Merchandise With Luxury Fashion Line

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Cheetos is banking on its mischievous mascot Chester Cheetah and is catering to its devoted fan base for the holiday season by bringing consumers a fashion line of branded luxury apparel. It’s the first-ever online store for the puffed cornmeal snack.

From Flamin Hot Pants and dangerously cheeky underwear to a cheetah onesie and a $20,000 sapphire-embedded ring boasting more than 190 diamonds, there is something seriously stylish and tongue-in-cheek for everyone.

“Each year, holiday catalogs and gift gurus share their most unique and coveted gift items of the year,” Ryan Matiyow, senior director of marketing for Frito-Lay, the parent company of Cheetos, told [a]listdaily. “The Cheetos brand is joining this illustrious group with the release of a legendary gift collection and holiday book showcasing an assortment of this season’s must-have gifts. Each item puts the true meaning of opulence into the holidays, delivering a uniquely Cheetos wow factor that will impress even the most discerning gift recipients.”

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The fashion-oriented holiday campaign ranges clothing and perfume to furniture and cuff links. But you have to move quick because selections from the 14-item catalogue are selling out—fast—affirming consumer demand and popularity for the PepsiCo-owned snack brand. The out-of-the-box fashion offerings range from $29.99 to $69, but if you just want to get a piece of the quirky orange-and-black action, there is toilet paw-per, too.

The print-inspired gifts were promoted with a full-on fashion show and paired with serious social media efforts on Facebook that further punctuated Frito-Lay’s stance on marketing and product development.

This is not the first time the chip brand has opened up an elaborate bag of branded gifts and upped its innovation game. Channeling in on some Halloween-inspired mischief, they sold out of a doll-sized Chester Cheetah stuffed animal and accompanying book of pranks on Amazon in October. “Chester on the Dresser” was such a hit that another 800 were re-released in addition to the original 200. They also had a successful “Cheetos Museum” contest run over the summer.

“We sought to have a bit of playful fun this past Halloween, offering a different take to those festivities by bringing back the trick-or-treat,” said Matiyow. “This was another way for parents who enjoy eating our snacks to have a little fun with their family and friends, and keep the Chester Cheetahs doll and prank book for future festivities.”

PepsiCo previously has marketed branded products to consumers through mobile phones and accessories in China, proving that there is an opportunity to permeate the lives of consumers on a daily basis.

Matiyow confirms that there is an appetite for brand-themed gifts and goods.

“The Cheetos brand is always looking for fun ways to engage with our consumers beyond snacking with programs that are an extension of the playful brand personality we are known for,” he said. “The introduction of the first-ever Cheetos Store, gives fans the opportunity to enjoy Cheetos-themed gifts that bring our fun, spirited personality to life for the holidays.”

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

5 Brands Using IoT In Pioneering Ways

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When you think of the Internet of Things (IoT), you probably think of Alexa, Cortana or Siri, but these helpful AI ladies are merely using the IoT to get things done.

Stepping right off the pages of a science fiction novel, IoT is now a reality and marketers have certainly taken notice. According to data published in November, 23 percent of US advertising and marketing executives identified the IoT as “very important” compared to AR/VR, conversational marketing and artificial intelligence at 14 percent each, respectively. In addition, a separate study by Deloitte found that in 2016, more than one third of executives said their companies were actively deploying IoT. Analyst firm Gartner predicts that by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices.

With these devices comes a whole lot of data, helping brands to improve their products, or even literally fixing them. In exchange, companies learn more about their audiences than ever before. Making product identification, location and consumption available in convenient and fun ways is how these five brands have become pioneers in IoT marketing.

Patrón

As the first luxury spirit brand on the Amazon Alexa platform, Patrón paired with the Echo smart speaker to deliver over 150 cocktail recipes, as well as recommendations and tips ranging from perfect pairings for food to proper ways to shake and strain tequila. For Patrón, using consumer-aimed voice recognition services is crucial to growing the brand’s profile.

“I think we want to cohabitate with consumers,” Lee Applbaum, Patrón’s global chief marketing officer, told [a]listdaily. “By that I mean we want to present our brand story, describe product attributes, or in this case, better communicate versatility in a way in which consumers want to engage with us, rather than forcing them to do it the way we wanted to.”

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Under Armour

The sports apparel company has fully embraced IoT having acquired not one, but three health-tracking companies and morphing them all into a one-stop shop for tracking and sharing information. If you’ve ever wanted to track your steps, nutrition, map your run and see nutrition information as recorded by your clothes, Under Armour has the solution.

Your T-shirt is able to communicate with your smartphone, relaying information such as heart rate and the number of calories burned during a workout. During CES this year, the company even announced the UA Speedform Gemini 2 running shoes that record information as well.

“We’re always looking to reinvent ourselves, and our products, and help our athletes do the same,” Chris Glodé, vice president of Under Armour Digital, told [a]listdaily. “As an innovation company, we also realize that the best ideas won’t necessarily come from inside our walls. We have a long track record of finding great innovations and entrepreneurs, and using our brand and our ecosystem as a platform to deliver these innovations to the consumer.”

Tesla Motors

Analyst firm Gartner estimates that nearly 250 million cars will be connected to the internet by 2020, and Tesla’s electric cars are a prime example of what IoT can do. Rather than make consumers take valuable time out of their day to visit a dealer, Tesla simply issues an update and the vehicles “fix themselves.”

When a charger plug was found to cause fires, Tesla simply issued a fix for its 29,222 vehicle owners through a software update and in another fix, gave the suspension higher clearance.

While the internet can’t fix a flat tire (yet) or guarantee that everything is wired correctly, Tesla is paving the way toward what science fiction authors dreamed the future might hold.

Home Depot

Need a little help in a gigantic hardware store? Home Depot has connected its Pro Xtra loyalty program with the stores themselves by integrating consumers’ online shopping carts and wish lists with its mobile app. When contractors enters the store, they receive a personalized greeting, the most efficient route to navigate the store based on the items in their dot.com shopping cart and even a check of the store’s inventory. For Home Depot, the Pro Xtra program was all about making customers feel special.

“Relationships are the basis of our Pro Business,” J.T. Rieves, vice president of The Home Depot’s Pro Business told Pro Construction Guide. “We are constantly looking for ways to make pros feel special and to continue solving their needs so they turn right into The Home Depot parking lot instead of left into someone else’s.”

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Amazon

Using the Amazon app, consumers can now re-order the product of their choice using a Dash Button. Retailing for $5 each, the device can be left anywhere around the home and will place an order through Amazon at the press of a button via Wi-Fi.

Don’t worry about your toddler ordering a fortune in toilet paper, though—with Order Protection enabled, the Dash Button will not place a new order until your prior order is delivered—regardless of how many times the button is pressed.

PlayStation Experience: Celebrating A Legacy And Unveiling The Future

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On December 3, 1994, the first PlayStation console was sold in Japan and 22 years to the day, Sony celebrated a new line of virtual reality games at the PlayStation Experience (PSX). In its third year, this annual event held in Anaheim, California caters not to the press, but to the fans—a common thread among publishers today who recognize the value of influencer marketing. Sony celebrated its legacy while ushering in its future through new titles and remastered versions of some of the platform’s greatest hits.

The keynote began with a suspenseful trailer for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy that had the audience erupting in screams and applause when they realized it starred both Chloe Frazier from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Nadine Ross, who debuted in Uncharted 4. Then, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden took the stage to welcome fans to the event and thank them for sharing PlayStation’s journey thus far. “We’ve been here for 22 years and we’re not going anywhere,” he told the crowd, “thank you for being part of that.”

Sony then proceeded to unveil and showcase over 40 previously announced games—it was like E3 in December. Uncharted’s tale of femmes fatales was only the beginning, followed by Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, announcements for remastered classics like Wipeout, PaRappa the Rappa and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Fans were also treated to additional footage from Gran Turismo Sport, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush 2 and MLB The Show 17, not to mention The Last of Us Part II.

Hot on the heels of its PlayStation VR launch, Sony showed off upcoming experiences that feature VR support including Starblood Arena, Ace Combat 7 and Resident Evil 7, which just launched its final demo for PS4, PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR.

In addition to letting fans get their hands on some of these upcoming titles, PlayStation Experience hosted developer panels and eSports events as well. The Capcom Cup Finals were hosted at the show, as well as the Call of Duty World League, back for another exciting season.

“This has been a truly remarkable year for PlayStation—from the historic releases of PlayStation VR and PS4 Pro to the thrilling conclusion of Nathan Drake’s journey in Uncharted 4,” Layden wrote on the PlayStation blog following the keynote, “and it’s thanks to your passion and enthusiasm that we can come together and celebrate at PlayStation Experience.”

Houston Rockets Hire ESports Director; Starbucks Shuffles Their Top Brass

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From TV to eSports and Starbucks, here are some of the top personnel moves over the last week.

The Houston Rockets became the first NBA franchise to dedicate a front office position to eSports by hiring 25-year old Sebastian Park as their director of eSports development.

Activision Blizzard has reached a new employment agreement with CEO Bobby Kotick. A company filing states that Kotick’s base salary will be lowered to $1.8 million from $2.4 million. However, Kotick could earn up to $56.3 million in Activision Blizzard shares over three years if specific goals are attained.

Juhani Honkala, previously a senior vice president for Rovio Entertainment, has formed mobile streaming platform Hatch, which is looking to turn into the Netflix of mobile games.

Games industry veteran Chris Taylor, the creator of Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege, has left World of Tanks publisher Wargaming to start an independent studio.

Former Bloomberg and NBA executive Todd Swidler has been named CEO of ESC Games. Earlier today, ESC Games announced a new social level of gaming with with the launch of ESC Game Theater, a high-tech experience where up to 30 people play casual games on a massive screen in a room pulsing with lights, special effects, music and energy.

“The video game industry is experiencing explosive growth, and we see major opportunities for ESC Games to pioneer a new category that taps into that demand through our unique game experience and competitive tournaments. The possibilities are vast,” said Swidler.

Games industry veteran Mike Fischer has been named president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.

“The video games industry has given me so much throughout my career over the past two decades, and this opportunity felt the perfect fit in providing me a chance to give back to my industry peers, inspirational creators and the gamers of today and tomorrow,” said Fischer. “The Academy’s mission to celebrate, promote and advance the worldwide interactive entertainment community resonates strongly with me. I’m looking forward to working with the team to put together a fantastic 2017 D.I.C.E. conference and celebrating its milestone 20th Awards show.”

Starbucks has a new leadership structure to drive its next wave of global growth. Kevin Johnson has been named president and chief operating officer. Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO, will be appointed executive chairman and will shift his focus to innovation, design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and the company’s social impact initiatives.

“Starbucks consistently outperforms the retail industry because our stores, our offerings and the experiences our partners create make us a destination. The best evidence of the success of the core strategy driving our business is that we continue to deliver quarter after quarter of record, industry leading revenue, comp sales and profit growth, and that the newest classes of Starbucks stores continue to deliver record-breaking revenues, AUV’s and ROI—both in the US and around the world,” said Schultz. “As I focus on Starbucks next wave of retail innovation, I am delighted that Kevin Johnson—our current president, coo, a seven-year board member and my partner in running every facet of Starbucks business over the last two years—has agreed to assume the duties of Starbucks chief executive officer. This move ideally positions Starbucks to continue profitably growing our core business around the world into the future.”

Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer of BuzzFeed for the last 18 months, is leaving the digital media giant. Cooper has held executive roles in marketing and branding for AOL, Motown Records Def Jam Records, and more recently, PepsiCo where he ran strategy, development, and brand activation for global platforms across all beverages.

Skip Chaisson has been promoted to chief creative officer for the cable channel El Rey Network. According to Variety, Chaisson “will oversee all creative and brand elements produced by the company for El Rey’s linear network as well as its digital and social-media feeds.”

Former Sony executive Andrew Gumpert has been named chief operating officer for Paramount Pictures.

Michael Moore has been appointed chief customer officer for A Wireless, a premium retailer for Verizon Wireless and operating more than 1,100 Verizon-branded retail stores.

“A Wireless boasts 20 years of providing the best possible customer experience, products and services in the wireless industry,” said Moore. “I am honored to build upon this heritage by leading our efforts in customer centricity, and ultimately delighting our customers and teammates with innovative personalized offers, product choices, and solutions that will can improve their lives.”

Have a new hire tip? Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Holiday Game Sales Are Down, But No Need To Panic

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Despite a record-breaking Black Friday, overall digital games sales for the holiday season are down two percent from 2015 according to SuperData Research. It’s not just this year, either—the last two holiday seasons have shown a year-over-year decline of around five percent, which SuperData attributes to recent hardware updates and aggressive bundling. While this has caused an overall shift in sales trends, no one should panic just yet.

“The industry as a whole is fine,” SuperData Research CEO, Joost van Dreunen, told [a]listdaily. “What is declining is the proportion of physical sales. What has allowed physical sales to continue to do well up until recently is the current hardware cycle, which performed above expectations, and the slow adoption from the legacy publishers of digital distribution. When we look at the share of full game downloads during the holiday season from a few years ago, only five percent of revenue came from digital sales. This year, full game downloads represent around 27 percent in the United States.”

In 2012, full game downloads accounted for only six percent of total unit sales around the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, but for 2016 that number was four times higher. “Sales this year were hampered by a weaker than usual line-up of new titles,” SuperData reported, “even as Battlefield 1 managed to perform well.” Despite the hype train, VR was named 2016’s “biggest loser,” with “notably fewer units sold than expected due to a relatively fragmented title line-up and modest marketing effort.”

However, van Dreunen notes some highly anticipated releases that could help turn things around. “Upcoming releases that will drive excitement and revenues this holiday season are The Last Guardian, Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission for the PSVR and Steep,” he said. “It’s important to remember that the entry into virtual reality means a range of new hardware and software sales, which will initially be mostly purchased physically. We expect Q1 next year to see Resident Evil 7 and Horizon Zero Dawn driving momentum.”

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Pokémon GO helped pave the way for Sun and Moon to become the fastest-selling US titles in Nintendo history. Source: Nintendo

SuperData considered Nintendo to be this year’s “biggest winner,” with updates to Pokémon GO and selling out of the NES Classic Edition. After becoming the most pre-ordered video games in Nintendo history, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon have now become the fastest-selling games that Nintendo has ever launched in the Americas.

“On mobile, we recorded a spike in earnings as players made the most of the Thanksgiving special for Pokémon GO,” Van Dreunen commented. “The game’s ability to stay in the forefront of people’s minds as we approach the release date for Super Mario Run may prove beneficial for Nintendo, which has yet to make a convincing claim on the $38 billion mobile games market.”

What’s going to keep gamers breaking out their wallets? Van Dreunen says it’s all about value.

“Overall, consumers are expecting more bang for their buck. In the face of a growing amount of alternatives in interactive entertainment, the traditional offering has already become stronger, giving people a lot of more for their money,” he told [a]listdaily. “Bundling has been a huge driver for both hardware and key software sales this year, for instance. As long as the traditional console business continues to deliver high-quality experiences it will meet consistent demand. But therein also lies the challenge, as a shrinking group of publishers is capable of delivering those experiences, and the market continues to consolidate.”

7 Video Game Franchises That Leapt Into Virtual Reality

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2016 has been the year of video game hardware—especially virtual reality—with the launch of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and most recently, PlayStation VR (PSVR). Developers from across the world have been hard at work creating all-new adventures for the lucrative platform, but these gaming brands are using established franchises to test out the virtual waters for themselves.

NBA 2KVR Experience

2K Sports took a leap from controlling an entire team through a video game to stepping onto the court yourself. Launched just last week, NBA 2KVR Experience places fans in Bankers Life Fieldhouse alongside Indiana Pacers’ Paul George to participate in mini-games like a 3-point shooting contest, a speed and accuracy challenge and the buzzer beater countdown. Players can earn Gatorade fuel boosts that will help their shooting, speed and recovery.

George, who is also on the cover of NBA 2K17 was happy to take part in the extra content. “As a lifelong fan of NBA 2K, it’s exciting to see them take the leap into VR,” he said in a statement, “and even more exciting that it’ll be on my home court.”

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Final Fantasy XV VR Experience

Gamers flocking to Eos for the latest Final Fantasy adventure will soon be able to add virtual reality to the mix. An upcoming DLC called Final Fantasy XV VR Experience puts fans in the role of Pronto Argentum, but from a first-person perspective. Using the PlayStation Move controller, players must aim and shoot a mighty beast called Bohemoth while assisting NPC teammates.

Batman: Arkham VR

The Batman: Arkham video game series is highly-revered by fans and critics alike, so when Rocksteady announced a virtual reality experience, there was more than a bit of excitement. Dax Ginn, brand marketing producer at Rocksteady Studios explained to [a]listdaily why Batman was the ideal character to feature in a VR experience.

“The core experience of Batman: Arkham VR centers around Batman’s abilities as ‘The World’s Greatest Detective.’ Players will solve a brutal murder using all of Batman’s detective and forensic skills, and it is this aspect of Batman’s personality that fits VR so perfectly as a technology. Using gadgetry to search for clues at a crime scene and reconstruct critical moments of the story feels like a very ‘Batman’ thing to do, and it also feels incredibly satisfying to do it in VR.”

Minecraft VR

Brave explorers and builders can now experience this world-famous realm of blocks and mobs through the Oculus Rift and Samsung VR. You’ll still need a mouse to navigate, though, in case you were hoping to get one, REALLY buff arm from mining. (Sorry!)

Famed game developer and co-founder of id Software, John Carmack shared his thoughts with Oculus about why this is an exciting moment for mobile VR. “Minecraft is a game that you can both figuratively and literally lose yourself in. In fact, my strongest memories of being inside VR are from the time I’ve spent exploring Minecraft on Gear VR,” Carmack said. “Experiencing it in virtual reality changes it from an abstract activity to a visceral one—it goes from a sense of playing the game to one of being inside your world, and spinning around to find a creeper sneaking up on you leaves a powerful impression. Infinite worlds have been explored, shaped and shared by millions of people, and now in VR; that sounds a bit like the fabled Metaverse.”

Rise Of The Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider received quite a few visual upgrades for its PS4 launch, particularly on the PS4 Pro, but Crystal Dynamics went the extra mile by creating an immersive experience designed especially for PSVR. The development team found inspiration not in a tomb, but in Lara’s ancestral home. In the DLC, Blood Ties, Lara is in danger of losing possession of her manor and must search through its secrets and history in order to keep it.

“You can’t just go back and add VR to this,” Chris Johnson, associate brand manager at Crystal Dynamics told [a]listdaily. “That doesn’t really work. So, as we were building this space out and adding all this adventure, we got inspiration from games like Gone Home. That’s what led us to say, ‘this would work really well in VR, let’s give it a shot.’ So, our team has been busy making that feel immersive. As you’re going through the manor, we felt really excited by it, because for the very first time, players could actually experience the world through Lara’s eyes.”

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Resident Evil 7

Many gamers (myself included) have fond and frightening memories of battling zombies in the dark, abandoned buildings of Resident Evil, but Capcom struck a new kind of fear in our hearts by introducing virtual reality to the mix. Resident Evill 7: Biohazard will be released on January 24 in traditional forms, but can be played entirely or through a mix of virtual reality, meaning a lot of nightmares for a lot of people.

“This is the first time we’re using the first-person perspective for a mainline Resident Evil title,” said Mike Lunn, brand manager of Resident Evil at Capcom told [a]listdaily. “What we wanted to do is, instead of being Chris, Leon or Ada (from previous games)—where a zombie comes around the corner, and you say, ‘cool, I have a grenade launcher. I can just blow it away.’ We wanted it to feel like it’s actually you. If it’s just you, then it’s like, ‘I’m not prepared for this!’”

EVE: Valkyrie

Set in the EVE: Online universe, Valkyrie is a virtual reality dogfighting simulator set in outer space, featuring a single-player mode and multiplayer battle pitting two teams of eight against one another. Developer CCP was one of the first game companies to jump aboard the VR trend, and the game is included free with Oculus Rift purchases. EVE: Valkyrie is also available for HTC Vive and PSVR.

Even the Assassin’s Creed movie is getting in on the virtual action, debuting a new 360-degree experience ahead of the film’s launch. A whole lot more game franchises could be headed to virtual reality, especially with the rise of VR Arcades. Juniper Research predicts that hardware revenues from VR headsets, peripherals and 360-degree cameras will reach over $50 billion by 2021.

Featured image source: IGN

Febreze Brings Some Funky Fresh Marketing With The “12 Stinks of Christmas”

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If your house smells as if a litter box married a tray of burnt cookies and had microwaved fish as a lovechild during the holidays, then Febreze has you covered with a jingle so fresh that it’ll scintillate your senses straight through the chimney.

The odor-eliminating spray has brought back its second installment of the holiday marketing hit with the “12 Stinks of Christmas” to breathe some fresh air into the homes of Santa-celebrating citizens this year.

The hip-hop music video features “The World’s Greatest Entertainer” in beatbox pioneer Doug E. Fresh and Instagram top dog @ItsDougThePug, where the rapper counts down the stinks of the season, including “12 musty stockings, 11 burnt cookies . . . and eight frying latkes” all the way down to “a family that really needs Febreze.” @ItsDougThePug—dressed in sunglasses, headphones and a tracksuit—works the record player with his paw.

The campaign is paired with a global push with a UK rendition starring British TV personality and comedian Paul O’Grady. The odor-neutralizing message for both spots is simple—use the scent of Febreze to spray the stench out of your home and be guest-ready all season long.

“Using the momentum from last year’s campaign, we reacted to consumer responses and trends, putting together a funky fresh remix,” Mandy Ciccarella, brand communications manager at Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Febreze, told [a]listdaily. “The goal is always to reach consumers in a fun way as they manage the holiday rush and prepare for the influx of guests and parties. The ’12 Stinks of Christmas’ proves that Febreze is the only solution when it comes to holiday odors. Don’t get us wrong, the holidays are great, but in reality, they can literally stink.”

This season’s revival follows the success of last year’s viral video starring Glee stars Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison. Ciccarella says Febreze will run the campaign with a strong social push through paid media across Snapchat, Twitter, iRadio, and blogger activations—but no TV. Their frontline marketing strategy aligns with the digital efficiency the corporation is seeking after initially going big and losing out on Facebook targeted ads earlier this year.

“We are always open to testing new platforms and look forward to measuring the success of this launch,” Ciccarella said. “We have seen positive feedback from the ads, and in our comment sections.”

One proven and playful test for the brand is to incorporate an internet-famous canine. P&G previously used the Fat Jew’s social star of a dog named Toast—a petfluencer—in sponsored posts for Febreze and Swiffer campaigns.

“We think millennials will love seeing one of their favorite Instapets going from cameo to co-star in year two,” said Ciccarella.

Millennials aside, busy denizens as a whole like short and share-worthy content—even more so during the holidays—that can be consumed on the fly through their phones.

Febreze’s “12 Stinks of Christmas” does exactly that. And that smells like another success.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik5oUVfqW9M

How ‘Wordie’ Became An Instant iMessage Success

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Developed by The Fast Mind, Wordie is a mobile game where players are challenged to guess the common theme from four pictures, then spell out the word using available letters. It was also one of the original apps for iMessage when it first launched with iOS 10. It has since received tremendous success, with over 20 million downloads to date with over 3.5 million active users per month, indicating 99 percent organic growth.

Wordie was recently updated to support animated images from GIPHY so that its players can create custom puzzles to challenge each other with. Groups of up to 40 people can participate in challenges using iMessage, and the game syncs across multiple devices such as iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. About 25 percent of players in the US engage with the game using iMessage.

The Fast Mind co-founder and CEO, Jorge Prado, spoke with [a]listdaily about finding success on a messaging platform and how it got players around the world wild for Wordie.

Jorge Prado, The Fast Mind founder and CEO
Jorge Prado, The Fast Mind founder and CEO

In what ways have you seen iMessage gaming grow since you first launched Wordie?

With iOS 10, iMessage became a powerful platform in our game. We’ve seen Wordie played on iMessage more than we ever imagined. Over 20 percent of all levels are won through iMessage, and we strongly believe there is still plenty of room to grow and innovate. iMessage has transformed the way people play Wordie from only a solo mode with some help from their friends to a truly collaborative and cooperative mode. Before iMessage, you could still share your score, challenge someone, or ask for help through different messaging platforms, but there was no real gameplay happening in the conversation. Now, there are groups with over 40 users who play the game in the same iMessage chat. The average group is over 4 players and growing every day.

Wordie recently announced 20 million installs. How were you able to get the word out—so to speak—about Wordie?

Nice pun! Wordie’s growth is all about our users and the communities they have created. The viral infrastructure that is embedded into the gameplay allows our players to challenge their friends through any social media channel or messaging platform looking for help or just for fun. That function has made Wordie one of the most viral word games ever. Wordie has reached over 60 percent of smartphone users in some countries. At The Fastmind, we’re proud of what our users have done with the game to spread their voice all over. A number that never fails to impress us is that 50 percent of all our engaged users have shared or will share a level during their lifetime in the game.

Wordie is also available as a standalone mobile app, but we hear that most users prefer to play through iMessage. Why do you think that is?

It’s not that most of the users play in iMessage, it’s that the users that discover the experience on the iMessage extension will play with their friends in the new platform, rather than play only by themselves. We think it’s because it feels very natural and follows into the serendipity of any conversation. It’s just there for you to use it, it’s easy and fun. Mobile gaming is about having fun during brief windows of time, and I think it’s genius to take the gaming experience to where people are sending billions of messages every day. Now you don’t have to open an app to start a playing experience but can combine the social feeling with the fun of the game experience. That is the power of playing with someone or a group of friends, in real time, in the middle of a conversation. On the other hand, the standalone app often serves as player’s training mode to be ready to answer the challenges of their friends.

What are the benefits to an iMessage game compared to a standalone app?

We have seen two main advantages so far. One main advantage is that iMessage offers a social gaming experience you build from day one without having to create a new community because you have your friends already connected to you through your phone. The other key benefit is the fact that you do not have to push the user to make them play with a notification. Instead, those invites, nudges or reminders are coming directly from players’ friends, which makes them much less annoying.

Can Wordie work on other messaging apps such as Facebook Chat? Has there been any consideration to adopting more platforms?

We’re looking forward to bringing Wordie to every messaging and social platform where people can have fun with their friends. You can expect that very soon.

wordie-2How can users use GIPHY to make their own puzzles, and how have you seen the feature increase engagement?

Nowadays everything is about being in the moment, and with Wordie you can create a puzzle about ongoing events and share it with your friends instantaneously.

The GIF factory is a very intuitive interface where you can search among the GIPHY database for the four GIFs that best suit the word you want to send as a challenge. It’s common to come up with even better words than you thought of when you start browsing the GIFs. We’ve been receiving a lot of fun and creative GIF levels from our community. Messages platforms are for users to create content as well as consume. Wordie allows our users to create their own levels and play other users or community levels.

There appears to be a growing shift toward messaging apps for gaming. Why do you think it’s such an attractive platform?

To sum up a little of what I said before, I think there are three main reasons why messaging apps are such an attractive platform. First we have the established communities of users that they offer. You don’t have to create a community or a user base, the platform automatically allows you to share your progress with friends, coworkers, family and other groups. As a game developer, you enter into a preexisting community that helps with the distribution of your product. Second is the communication channels that are available. Normally, it is the developer who is in charge of sending push notifications and maintaining the communication with the user. Now, it has pivoted to the point where it is the user himself who makes those notifications and encourages other people to play the game. And let’s face it, you are more likely to pay attention to a message sent by a friend than by an app.

Finally, these messaging platforms are made to create and consume content. If you develop your app properly, you will be able to immediately generate content and give it to the users so they can enjoy it. Wordie incorporates all of these characteristics (user communities, communications and the creation of content), which is what makes it such a viral app. Using a platform that is still in early stages of development and that has a lot of potential, we are proud to be one of the first games to embrace this opportunity. It’s about being there in the moment and having the capabilities to engage in a fun experience. We want to make the best word game in the world. That’s a beautiful thing, mobile gaming bringing people together to have fun. We believe in the power of fun to create a better world!