Not Your Parents’ ‘Sta Wag’

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Toyota Europe tasked Saatchi & Saatchi Milan with trying to make a station wagon cool, and the agency rose to the challenge with this spot for the Toyota Auris Hybrid. The ad, directed by Steve Ayson, takes you backward through a day filled with remarkable events, all made possible by the compelling features of the Auris wagon. It’s a master class in integrating product features with compelling visuals and an interesting storyline, and it’ll leave you wanting to know more about this remarkable station wagon.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=i1uqYfDsaYU

Bartering Comes To Xbox One

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At one point, many would-be buyers of the Xbox One feared that Microsoft wouldn’t allow them to play used games on their machine. It’s nice to see the company hasn’t followed such a structure. In fact, it’s introduced a new plan that will allow players to share their game experiences even more than ever.

Senior director Albert Penello talked about the expansion of the program, which would allow players to trade or loan out downloadable games to other players, though there’s not a specific date as to when it would launch into action. Day one may be likely, but that’s not confirmed yet.

Penello stated, “We were trying to implement the ability to trade (and) loan digital games with your friends, which is something that no one else was doing. I believe, in retrospect, that people have calmed down and gone back and actually looked at what we said, people are starting to understand, ‘Wow, they did want actually to allow me to loan and trade’ which other digital ecosystems don’t want to do. And so, yeah, I think we need to do that. That has to be part of the experience. Right now, we’re focused on launch and we switched the program back to discs, because that’s what customers wanted.”

The Xbox One is set to launch worldwide on November 22.

Source: GamesIndustry International

‘Pokémon’ In The Clouds

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With Pokémon X and Y due for release next month, The Pokémon Company is ramping up all sorts of promotions for the 3DS games. Included in that is a new program called the Pokémon Bank, which is a downloadable app for the 3DS.

With this app, players will be able to store Pokémon in online boxes – with a total of 100, allowing for the storage of 3,000 Pokémon characters in all. Players can then access their library without having to worry about system storage, since it uses online-based cloud services. In addition, players of Pokémon Black & White 1 and 2 can transfer their characters over with ease, using the poke Transporter.

The service will require players to pay an annual fee, with the Japanese version going for $5. No word yet on U.S. and European costs, but it’s likely to be the same.

Source: Kotaku

Xbox 360 Will Endure

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While Microsoft is putting a big focus on its Xbox One console this holiday season, it hasn’t forgotten about the system that put it in the lead of the U.S. and European markets over the past few years – the Xbox 360.

The company confirmed today that the system will receive an additional three years of support, giving it a lengthy shelf life that’s even longer than the original Xbox. Xbox Marketing and Strategy Chief Yusuf Mehdi confirmed this today during the Citi Global Technology Conference.

“We’re going to continue to invest in the Xbox 360 and the two devices can work in concert,” said Mehdi. “It’s not like the day we ship the Xbox One your 360 won’t work; we’ll continue to support it. In fact, we’re going to ship over 100 new games on Xbox 360. So you’ll still be able to play your (older) games, just not on the same exact box.”

The 360 will be home to various third party releases as well, including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch_Dogs and Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Source: Ars Technica

Harnessing Dragons With Super Metal

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Sony Online Entertainment is at it again, weaving an intertextual pairing of cultural references that probably no one saw coming, yet seem to go together like bacon and everything. The latest trailer for SOE’s Dragon’s Prophet again blends the lore in the Asian-developed dragon-based MMO with American super metal music, and the result is pretty darn funny.

The trailer is produced by Ayzenberg, publisher of [a]list daily. It’s the second in SOE’s #SuperMetal campaign for Dragon’s Prophet.  If you’re wondering what inspired the approach, check out our exclusive interview with SOE head of marketing Laura Naviaux. (And if you make it to the end of the interview, you’ll see Naviaux who can bang heads with the best of them.)

This Week’s [a]list Jobs – September 4

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“I hear YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are merging to form a super Social Media site – YouTwitFace.” -Conan O’Brien. More quotes to rev up your hump day.

This week’s [a]list jobs:

Riot Games, Brand Manager (Santa Monica, CA)

Electronic Arts, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Marketing Services (Redwood City, CA)

Ayzenberg Group, New Business Development (Greater Los Angeles Area)

Blizzard Entertainment, Public Relations Manager (Orange County, California Area)

[a]list daily is now your source for the hottest job openings for senior management and marketing in games, entertainment and social media. Check here every Wednesday for the latest openings. To see last week’s [a]list jobs click here.

Another Super Mario Parkour

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Some very serious Nintendo fans who happen to be parkour athletes did a fabulous recreation of Mario and Luigi in a real-life Super Mario Bros. game. Christian Russell and Ronnie Shalvis performed with Salt Lake City as a backdrop.  Sprinkle in some CGI and an electrified sound track, and they successfully added new life to an old franchise.

The video comes on the heels of another one posted on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel that featured a highflying Luigi.  There’s nothing like bringing games into the real world in order to make a successful viral video!

Kickin’ It, Old School

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The rhythm game genre isn’t dead. It’s just entering a whole new realm as rhythmic martial arts in KickBeat from Zen Games. The single-player campaign game includes 18 licensed tracks, but the game allows you to import your favorite tracks and use them.

“If you really want to beat your enemies to the latest Beiber track, well, you can do that in the privacy of your own screen,” Zen Games noted.

KickBeat arrives on the PlayStation Store on September 3 in North America and September 4 in Europe.

God Game ‘Regenesis’

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Legendary designer Peter Molyneux and his digital game studio 22Cans is delivering what they’re calling the “regenesis of the god game” in Godus.  The game lets players take on the role of a god just as in classics of the genre, altering the environment, gathering worshippers and creating a civilization. In a very Molyneux-like nod to modern times, the game also features clashes between gods, as in other players, and their worshippers.

For those who remember, Godus is also the game where a real-life person will be a god for all players in the game.  Bryan Henderson was selected as the winner after smashing through 22Cans’s previous game, Curiosity, and will have a hand in the initial environments found in Godus.

Godus will be appearing in beta form under Steam’s Early Access program for $19.99 on September 13.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=JDpd468NxK8

Microsoft Sets Xbox One Launch Date

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Bucking the rumor that Xbox One was headed to stores in early November to beat PlayStation 4, Microsoft has officially announced the system’s launch date as November 22.  That’s the date Xbox One will launch in 13 markets, including the US and UK.

“We’re now in a position to share that Xbox One will be available on November 22, 2013 in all 13 of our initial launch markets – Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, UK, and USA. Many more markets will follow in 2014,” said Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of marketing, strategy and business.

The date puts Microsoft behind its rival, the PlayStation 4, in the US, but a week ahead of it in the UK. Sony has set a US launch date of November 15, and a UK launch date of November 29.

“We are humbled and gratified by the tremendous interest in Xbox One from game fans everywhere. We sold out of our pre-order supply faster than at any other time in our history and we are on path to have the biggest launch of an Xbox ever. We look forward to celebrating with millions and millions of gamers this holiday.”

Microsoft has not confirmed its pre-order numbers but Mehdi added that limited number of additional Xbox One Day One consoles would be made available today. “November 22 is a special day in Xbox history – on this day, we first launched Xbox 360 in 2005. Our next chapter begins in 79 days, when Xbox One becomes available. We built Xbox One to bring you the best games, unrivalled multiplayer and more entertainment than ever before. It’s nearly time to say ‘Xbox On’ and open a new world of games and entertainment.”

Source: GamesIndustry International