Posted by
Patrick Klepek on 4/16/08 at 6:45 pm.
It’s only been this generation that downloadable content has become a viable opportunity on consoles, and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board finds itself in a position to regulate this uncharted territory of content.
“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” expansion packs and the upcoming “Grand Theft Auto IV” upcoming add-ons represent the industry’s most expansive departures from a game’s original content. The catch: that content must remain consistent with the original rating branded by the ESRB.
New content cannot introduce elements that would alter the original rating, or the overall rating must change. ESRB president Patricia Vance explained what this meant for content makers at a MI6 Conference panel on marketing and user generated content last week.
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Posted by
Patrick Klepek on 4/14/08 at 11:59 am.
Demos may be the best way to find out if you like a game, but releasing one might not be in a publisher’s best financial interest, according to a study discussed at last week’s MI6 video game marketing conference.
This is the same study, presented by Gregory Short and Geoffery Zatkin, heads of the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research Group (EEDAR), which recommended marketing teams should work with developers to come up with an Xbox 360 game’s Achievements.
While demos may be effective at producing word-of-mouth, the EEDAR found that the highest selling games on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 produced buzz via Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network with trailers alone.
There are some other interesting bits extrapolate, so let’s look at how the sales break down…
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Posted by
Patrick Klepek on 4/9/08 at 3:19 pm.
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.
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