Blizzard’s Next MMO To Have Broad Appeal

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Take this as a lesson to prove to you that going to the well doesn’t always make for the best business strategy. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently spoke at an event in which he said the next MMO from Blizzard, creators of World of Warcraft, would have a little more broad appeal.

Those of you expecting World of Warcraft II, well, shouldn’t.

The unnamed MMO has had very few details other than members of the original World of Warcraft team are developing for it, and it will be a completely new IP.

If the broadening of the PC and video game audience isn t clear from Kotick’s comments, consider extremely successful broad-based MMOs (we use the term loosely) like Club Penguin, whose membership is now larger than that of even World of Warcraft’s.

Wii Price Cut To $199?

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The Nintendo Wii has been the darling of the video game industry ever since its launch three years ago, quickly attaining cult status and massive sales, propelling the house of Mario to the top.

Unfortunately, the global economic downturn has resulted in sales declines across the board including the once-invincible machine.  Nintendo is now rumored to cut the price of the Wii from $249 to $199, long known as a price barrier that, once broken, leads to a deluge of sales.

The reports come from purported scans of an upcoming Toys R Us ad, and, if true, would follow price cuts on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 leading up to the big holiday season.

New PlayStation Firmware Leading To Increased DLC Sales

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From GI.biz:

“We’re ecstatic at the 3.00 upgrade because not only have our sales gone up 40 per cent since the update but for me personally it’s what I’ve been calling for and looking forward to for a long time,” said James Brooksby, studio head at Doublesix.

“I’ve always been saying that effectively when you boot up the PlayStation 3 there’s a 40 inch advertising space waiting to be used. Now instead of saying to the user ‘what would you like to play today’ – which is the basic console offering – it’s saying ‘this is what we think you should play today’ and that’s a major step forward for the entire industry and the digital distribution sector.”

The new PS3 firmware went live a couple of weeks ago and one of the big changes to the system s dashboard is the amount of advertisements for games and add-ons available on the PlayStation Store. Some users complained about the intrusiveness of these ads, but the sales figures cannot be ignored, and it is yet another way to get your game in front the audience.

Activision CEO: How About Guitar Hero Without A Console?

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Gamespot has an interesting interview with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick where the wallet behind the Guitar Hero series and the largest video game publisher in the world gives some hints into the future of the industry.

From Gamespot:

“I think what the untethered Guitar Hero does is equal the playing field a little more and give you some leverage with first parties when it comes to downloadable content and the business model,” Kotick said.

The executive also told attendees to “expect many of our products to be playable independent of a console,” specifically saying he’d been impressed with media hub functionalities shown by 1080p TVs that let users stream content from their PCs. He also suggested a day in not-too-distant future where players’ Facebook profiles will be integrated into Guitar Hero, letting them make songs to share with friends, post high scores or favorite songs on their profile page, and so on.

The idea of a significant game without the need of a console is certainly an interesting method of distribution, and could remove a hurdle tied to discussing a title s compatible platforms.

Get Confrontational: JB Smoove Throws Down

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JB Smoove, comic and co-star in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, stars in a viral video for Carl’s Jr. that compares Big Carl burgers to McDonald’s Big Mac.

Smoove pulls no punches in the comparison, going so far as to print out comparison photos and ragging on Big Mac for its filler bun in the middle, less beef and more.

Remember when video game commercials were this confrontational (Sega does what Nintendon’t)

 

Video Of The Day: The Building With Heart

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A fantastic light show made a building in the north east of England come to life and must be seen to be believed. The presentation was created over the course of a couple of weeks by TheDarkRoomTV for a secret event whose theme was heart, and you can see that theme in ample display in today s video of the day.

Study: Game Prices, Community More Important Than Story, Graphics

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Two UK scientists have taken a look at the different factors consumers take into account when purchasing video games, and they may go against what is commonly assumed.

From NewScientist:

The pair analyzed game reviews to determine the most interesting features and how games garner good scores. Weak storytelling and lackluster in-game graphics had little impact, but pricing the game badly was a killer.

“Social aspects are also much more important than previously realized,” adds Beale. That may include multiplayer online options, or creating an experience the rest of the family will enjoy.

If this research is accurate, why does the marketing for games like Halo 3 ODST fail to mention social and multiplayer features

For example, the current Halo 3 ODST push focuses on the story of the ODST soldiers, which you can see in the embedded video below. The stunning trailer sets the mood but says nothing about the game’s actual multiplayer, a huge surprise given the original Halo 3 has been one of the top three Xbox Live multiplayer games since its launch . . . two years ago.

Are video game marketers missing out on communicating the most compelling features of their own products

The Selective Marketing Of The Beatles

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Advertising Age  took a look at The Beatles from a brand and marketing perspective rather than a musical one, and highlighted the selectivity with which The Beatles brand is attached. The Beatles: Rock Band came up as a bit of a different project that did gain some marketing visibility (to the tune of a $20 million television campaign).

“The Beatles: Rock Band,” for instance, launched last week […] including a TV commercial with the original Beatles images mixed into a crowded Abbey Road street scene created by MTV Networks with the help of RDA International. While MTV created the TV and two-minute cinematic spot released at the game’s announcement in January (with Passion Pictures), Apple Corps provided guidance and approvals along the way. PR firm Edelman has been working on the project since even before the game was announced.

Paul DeGooyer, senior VP-electronic games and music at MTV, said weekly meetings with Apple Corps focused on both the creative elements of the game and marketing from the very beginning. “Apple was involved every step of the way and the marketing keys off the game itself, which they were very happy with,” Mr. DeGooyer said. “What we ended up with is something very classy and meaningful to the Beatles [brand.]”

The selectivity has given The Beatles brand the rare opportunity to gain almost everyone s attention when a product comes out, and The Beatles: Rock Band was no exception. Appearances on The Today Show and The Tonight Show, a feature story in Time Magazine and a cover story in The New York Times Magazine are just a few examples of how that selectivity can pay off when the time comes.

More on this as we develop an exclusive the[a]listdaily feature looking into the brand and marketing behind The Beatles: Rock Band.

PS3: The Game Goes On

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From AdWeek:

A mature campaign for Sony’s PlayStation Sounds like an oxymoron. But how else do you expand the audience for the PlayStation 3 Reduced to $299 and being positioned more as a media center than a mere gaming console, the PS3’s challenge is to appeal to moms, dads and even grandparents (gulp!) without wussing out and alienating hard-core gamers who undoubtedly would flame PlayStation into the next millennium if it came out with hokey ads.

Enter this work from Deutsch/LA, which sidesteps the usual violent, special-effects-packed graphics and sounds to focus on the simple, human and funny.

We’ve been following the massive rebranding of the PS3 as well as these spots from Deutsch/LA, and you can read our bigger analysis in last week’s exclusive the[a]listdaily feature.

AdWeek suggests the television campaign isn t the only place we ll see Kevin Butler, as an ambitious banner campaign is in the works for the end of the year:

The online Q&A campaign, yet to start, will allow PS3 users to submit their own questions to the Butler character via Webcam. He’ll be seen on one side of the screen as the questions are being asked and then, through very cool, synched unit banners, he’ll be shown on the opposite side answering them.

Just another sign that Sony may have finally gotten it right.

Dirt 2 Marketing Gets Dirty

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From AdFreak:

Just when I got my panties unbunched from Electronic Arts putting a bounty on booth babes at E3, along comes this “Dirty Tats” site  for the Codemasters game Dirt 2. Yes, it lets you tattoo some ginormous digital boobs. I don’t think I need to point out that this has nothing to do with Dirt 2, which is a car-racing game. Dirt 2 itself is rated T for teens, but you have to be over 19 to play the advergame. Now, here’s the part of the post where I should get upset, but the thing is: The advergame is actually a lot of fun.

Take a look at the game by clicking over to dirtytats.com and see if you can unleash your inner artist without worrying about the misogyny.

The original Dirt appealed to the rally racing fan with a very clean marketing campaign and critical acclaim. We have little doubt the sequel will be anything but high quality, but we re surprised at the marketing’s turn to the more stuntworthy, and will be interested to see if the style permeates its print and television efforts.