Video games marketing

Review of the project, my first blog!

2005-05-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

So, this post will be the last one about video games advertisement.

I learnt a lot about different ways to communicate and to sell a product. In fact, I remarked that nowadays classical ads (like TV spot, paper ads,...) are still used in video games sector. Nevertheless, they are in competition with ads using new technologies, like Internet. Moreover, I could see that event organized are even more important : E3 event, which will take place in twelve days in Los Angeles, could destroy or reinforce all ads efforts made during all year.

I had a lot of difficulties to follow actuality, because it is a very dynamic sector. In addition, ads look like the nervousness of this sector : they are spread everywhere but for a very short period. You have to stay tuned!

I consider ads more important than before. In fact, a good marketing campaign could sell a bad game. It looks like Cinema industry.

Eventually, I think that it would be very interesting to follow day by day the E3 event, in order to show what companies in this sector are able to do for selling or communicating.

xbox 360

2005-04-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

xbox 360
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

The picture of new engine which is the most on the web!

New x-box incoming!

2005-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has begun an open war with Sony about next gen consoles. In fact there's a real competition between them in order to know who will present its new engine all over the world. As I said before, presentations for new consoles had to be done during the E3 event. However, Sony did not want to wait until this date so the company decided to do a presentation only for journalists before. Microsoft did not accept it and decided in this turn to present the new engine, called Xbox 360, on MTV the 12th of april. The war has begun!

Computers

2005-04-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So far I did not talk about my favourite games which are available for the most only on computers : FPS (First Person Shooter as DOOM 3), RTS (Real Time Strategy as The Battle for the middle earth) and RPG (Roling Playing Game as Everquest 2).
I love playing on this format because it is easier to play on-line, which is increasingly used by gamers. Morevoer, the mix between the keyboard and the mouse is more adapted than gamepad to play beacause it is more accurate. Finally, graphics are better. These are the three main reasons, I think, why PC market from video game's point of view will always exist, even if consoles market is more known by people.

PSP metro

2005-04-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

PSP metro
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

Impressive, isn't it?

News

2005-04-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here are two ads for PSP here and here. They are so... different from the other ones. There's a lack of imagination I think, but this is linked with console's concept : multimedia and for all public, without originality.

Nevertheless, I've seen an outsanting way by sony to advertise their product. I'll try to show it in the next post. bye!

"Home console"

2005-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Now, you know what consoles look like. Nowadays, PS2 is the most succesful engine sold, and neither Xbox nor Gamecube could reach its score. So, the market might be divided like it : two third of the market own to Sony, the rest owns equally between Microsoft and Nintendo.

Nevertheless, market will be soon under pressure with future announcements from constructors in May, during the E3 event. This the biggest show about video games organized and it takes place in Los Angeles. Consoles makers will talk about their new engine: Microsoft, with Xbox 2, Sony with Playstation 3 and Nintendo with its mysterious Revolution.

But it could be very difficult for studios of development to adjust supply and the demand with the coming of these "next generation" engines. For instance, games developed previously for Xbox are numerous to be reported for Xbox2 support, because of rumours about a launching of Xbox 2 for the end of the year.

Video games market likes rumours, well founded or not. If I was a studio, I would wait for PS3, even if it could be launched many months after Xbox2, because it is the brand name (playstation) which is the most present in gamers' mind. In addtion, there's no point waiting for Revolution, Nintendo will launch it in late as usual.

Nintendo DS

2005-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Nintendo DS
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

Here is the dual screen engine. About 2 millions models have been already sold. Nice success!

PSP

2005-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

PSP
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

The famous PSP, with extraordinary graphic capacities for a portable. Sony calls it the "walkman of the third millenium". They're so modests...

gamecube

2005-04-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

gamecube
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

Nintendo's engine, with approximately the same sales than Microsoft.

Xbox

2005-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Xbox
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

It is the microsoft engine... The only default is due to its size, very important. About 20 millions consoles have been sold worlwide.

PS two

2005-04-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

PS two
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

this is the new model of sony PS2, available since the end of 2004. It is very smaller, with the same capacities of the older one including on line gaming.

Playstation 2

2005-04-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

Playstation_2
Originally uploaded by jacky76.

Playstation 2 is the "home" console the most sold in the world, with approximately 80 millions units.

Advertising of portables market

2005-03-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Today I would like to discuss about ads created by Nintendo and Sony to launch respectively Nintendo DS and PSP. As I said before, this a very dynamic market and a very strong competition is being played now in Japan, USA and in Europe soon.
First, let's have look to PSP's ad here. Then, compare with Nintendo's one here (it is for a game, not for the console itself).
For me, there's no doubt : Nintendo is more creative than Sony. In fact, "Big N" tries to mark a difference from its competitor using what the DS has and the PSP has not : the "tactil" screen. Nintendo explains in this way a new but fun kind of gameplay.This a very competitive advantage, well used, which may guarantee the success of the machine.
On the contrary, Sony only improved the power of its engine, but did not find a new way for playing, what the gamers expect the most in my mind.
Nevertheless, Sony benefits of a good and strong reputation in gamers' mind, which can repair this lack of imagination.

The next time we will see the "home console" market, bye!

Introduction to different markets

2005-03-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!!!

Now, let's have a look to what is very interesting for a lot of men on earth : video games!
First, this market might be divided in two parts :

Consoles and portables
PC

On the one hand, consoles market has been discovered and strongly developed at the beginning by Nintendo, with another competitor, Sega (now disappeared as constructor). Nowadays, two actors came enlarge the offer : Sony and Microsoft. Each company sells one "home console" :

In addition, portables exist too and this market is, for me, the most dynamic especially those last months. Only two actors are important to know (Nokia with N-Gage made a flop to my mind)

On the other hand, you can play to video games with a PC. The difference with console's market from a studio of development's point of view would be "there's no point buying a licence to develop my games", and from a customer's point of view "it is most expensive!". Actually, there's not a PC configuration recommended to have for playing : the best engine for playing will be always the one with components at state of the art.

However, even if those two markets are different because engines are not technicaly the same, we will see later that this segment exists also because games, so the offer, is not the same. Customers targeted may be the opposite according to the nature of the game.

Here is the end of my introduction!

Bye

Video games

2005-03-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I did not present myself in details last time. So, my first name is still Matthieu and I'm 22 since 2 days. I feel a bit old... I will work in finance and management department of CIN (a bank in Rouen, Normandy) next year (after my second year) and perhaps I will study in a foreign country for my third year. Next, I play tennis sometimes, I like cinema and video games.

Video games are what I will talk about in my blog, especially at marketing and advertising levels. Actually, I've choosen this subject because I love video games and it is a very dynamic sector, with important news everyday : new games, new engines, succes and fails of studios of development, etc... I'll try to analyse news of this sector and ads seen on TV or Net.

I hope you will enjoy it. Bye!

Welcome to my blog

2005-03-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody,

Here is my first blog, I hope that I will make it interesting.
My name is Matthieu, I am a student from the Business school of Le Havre (in Normandy) and I will mainly talk about marketing and advertising. So, I will publish some articles and I will try not to be boring.... I hope.

Marketing is not my favourite subject, so don't hesitate to give your feelings by comments.