MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Games and consoles TV advertising has experienced a 25 per cent year-on-year decline in activity from the start of 2012 to March 11th. This week we look at how the biggest campaigns of 2012 so far compare to 2011’s. The combined number of TVRs in the Top Ten is currently …
Read More »FEATURE: Marketing digital games
Retail naysayers would have you believe the good ship ‘boxed product’ is sinking, and salvation lies in the new world of digital games. But this strange land has perils of its own. It is a realm of different rules and unfamiliar seasons, where developers become publishers and publishers become retailers. …
Read More »Prototype 2 secures Champions League TV spot
Activision’s action sequel Prototype 2 will be promoted during a Champions League semi-final football match next month. It’s part of a three-week TV campaign including 30-second and 20-second adverts running on a variety of channels. The first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals will take place on April 17th …
Read More »TV ads: Apple vs games publishers
Apple’s shadow over the video games market is there for all to see. We look at how its TV footprint compares to other games publishers’. This chart below demonstrates how deep Apple’s TV footprint is, fuelling high demand for iOS products. The extent of Apple’s TV advertising has resulted in …
Read More »MCV GameTime: Industry TV advertising monitor (wk ending January 29th)
2012 started brightly for games and consoles TV advertising. The first two full weeks produced remarkable year-on-year growth (52 per cent and 2,498 per cent). The extraordinary growth witnessed during the week ending January 15th reflects a very poor corresponding week in 2011, when a small base of just three …
Read More »$50m marketing campaign for US Vita launch
Sony Computer Entertainment America has invested around $50 million in its campaign for PlayStation Vita. Marketing for the new handheld will span across TV spots, billboards, online ads, Twitter and Facebook, according to The New York Times (via V247). The central slogan will be Never Stop Playing, and targets avid …
Read More »Blizzard curbs World of Warcraft exodus
A total of 100,000 World of Warcraft subscribers left the PC MMO during the three months ending December 31st, according to financial documents filed by Activision Blizzard. An aggressive marketing campaign for the game featuring martial arts icon and actor Chuck Norris may have pulled in enough new subscribers to …
Read More »Nintendo will hire from within for post-Paine era
David Yarnton confirmed this week that his overseeing of Nintendo’s UK marketing will be short-term. Current marketing director Dawn Paine leaves Nintendo after ten years to join Universal Pictures later this month, with Yarnton taking an overseeing role until an appointment is made. But he told MCV that a successor …
Read More »Valentine’s Day love ready for Catherine
Catherine is making advances on the High Street, thanks to publisher Deep Silver’s seductivePOS campaign. The Koch Media publishing label is working closely with retailers to ensure the adult action puzzle game recreates the success it saw in Japan. The PS3 version debuted at No.1 in that territory. Catherine is …
Read More »Games becomes second-fastest growing TV ad sector
Video games has become the second fastest growing TV advertising market in the UK, behind office equipment. We saw last week that games and consoles TV advertising had kicked off 2012 brightly. Growth in the market has accelerated to 62 per cent year-on-year. It also puts it well ahead of …
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