It's not likely Microsoft knew how much of an influence Achievements would have on the industry.
Today, most would argue they're impossible to ignore.
At the MI6 Conference in San Francisco, a two-day event filled with presentations targeted squarely at marketers, the results of an Electronic Entertainment Design and Research study were clear: marketers need to care about their game's Achievements.
Achievements are influencing sales and Achievements are becoming effective viral marketing that puts the power of driving sales in the hands of gamers.
The study suggested that marketers start working with their development teams on brainstorming specific Achievements early in the development cycle. So early, in fact, that some Achievements should be incorporated into multi-year marketing plans.
They pointed to "Call of Duty 4," a title most expect Activision will iterate on with "Call of Duty 5." Their "what if" scenario involved a secret Achievement in "Call of Duty 4" -- titled "The Patient Spy" -- that unlocked upon watching a trailer for "Call of Duty 5."
If you don't care about achievements, the study said, you get angry users:
[an excerpt from the EEDAR presentation]
Readers, do those gamers sound like you? Do Achievements matter enough that publishers should move them to the development forefront? Are you pro or con?
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