Activision went to great lengths to get the word out about the just-released Bungie space sci-fi shooter Destiny, which is available now for PlayStation and Xbox consoles. In fact, it’s probably the most elaborate game marketing program to date. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that the company is spending about $500 million on Destiny (which is a combined amount for development and marketing). Today the company announced it has sold more than $500 million of Destiny into retail stores and first parties worldwide as of day one, making the game the biggest new video game franchise launch in history.
“Based on extraordinary audience demand, retail and first party orders worldwide have exceeded $500 million for Destiny,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “This industry milestone marks another blockbuster success for our company and demonstrates our unique ability to create some of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world.”
“Since the beginning, we’ve been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off. But not many people believed we’d be able to say it did so on day one,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Destiny is officially the biggest new franchise launch in our industry’s history. It’s also the highest-selling day one digital console release in history. We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation, and Activision’s next billion dollar brand.”
The publisher reportedly spent an estimated $500 million to develop and promote the new IP, across various betas for game consoles, a new live-action commercial directed by Tron Legacy‘s Joseph Kosinski, a special edition guide published in Newsweek Magazine (a publication not really known for covering video games), and a team-up with Google Street View that actually explores different planets, Destiny Planet View.
The trailer is the key focus for the latest wave of promotion, as its science fiction style and use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is making it incredibly popular. “The live action trailer is the culmination of an ambitious marketing campaign befitting what we hope is our next blockbuster franchise,” said Tim Ellise, chief marketing officer at Activision. “Destiny is set in our known universe, with our solar system as the backdrop for people to explore. We chose to produce a live-action spot in order to ground the world of Destiny in the familiar: real people, real locations and true adventure.
Kosinski “channeled the epic look and feel of the game by shooting in locations here on Earth that mirror iconic interplanetary destinations in the game. The result is a story that captures the action, adventure, fun and exploration of the game itself.”
Bungie also spared no expense bringing big-name talent to the game. Peter Dinklage, known for his role in the HBO series Game of Thrones, plays the cybernetic assistant Ghost in the game, while Paul McCartney was brought in to help produce the soundtrack.
Now the only question is what kind of campaign Activision will have in mind for its forthcoming holiday blockbusters, including Skylanders Trap Team and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. We shall see.
Source: Mediapost
