NEWS
“The games market now requires so much more than physical pick, pack and ship.” Distribution firms on the evolving market p28
£850k Apocalyptic marketing drive Sony’s all-encompassing campaign revolves around an event “not for the faint hearted”
by James Batchelor
A WHOPPING £850,000 has been invested in promoting new PS3 racer Motorstorm Apocalypse. Sony has pulled out all the stops on its action- packed game – set in an earthquake-ravaged city – which is out March 18th. Marketing highlights include idents as part of the firm’s year-long sponsorship of Channel 5 movies, and special 3D trailers that will be shown in cinemas, on Sky 3D and Sky’s Pub Channel. Central to the campaign will be next week’s Motorstorm Apocalypse Live event (see ‘Ruined warehouse central to game campaign’).
This tournament event will pit teams from the communities of IGN, CVG, FHM, OPMand GamesRadaragainst each other. Each media partner has been promoting the game and the competition, with ads designed to recruit gamers for their team.
In Brief
GAMESAID: The charity’s Industry Darts Night is a few days away. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 9th at The Horseshoe, 24 Clerkenwell Close, London, EC1R 0AG. Tickets cost £20. You can pay at GamesAid’s Just Giving page or contact
david.walker@live.co.uk.
Sony’s Kerri West wants to make a lot of noise about Motorstorm Apocalypse
RUINED WAREHOUSE CENTRAL TO GAME CAMPAIGN faint hearted”, and
No, seriously. The bulk of the marketing plan revolves around an event due to be held on
Thursday, March 10th in a dilapidated Central London warehouse. Entitled Motorstorm
“We will be making a lot of noise above the line at release but Motorstorm Apocalypse Live is the lynch pin of our strategy,” Sony product manager Kerri West told MCV. “The plan is to go all in against the core gamer audience
Hertfordshire kart track gets game debut
by Christopher Dring
LEWIS Hamilton's training ground is to star in its own video game.
Rye House Kart
Raceway in Hertfordshire will feature in Nordic Games’ Wii release Super Karts which arrives on March 25th.
Rye House will also be hosting an ‘elaborate’ event to promote the title. Rye House's Christine Taylor said: “We’re
8 March 4th 2011 The Rye House Kart Raceway
delighted to see the raceway in Super Karts. As the only real-life circuit in the game, we’re sure it will give gamers a rush.” Nordic Games: 01428 747105
Apocalypse Live, Sony has promised this will be more than just a tournament, with a few tricks up its sleeve to recreate the apocalyptic theme. The event will apparently “not be for the
and this event is the perfect vehicle to do that. “Like the game, it’s edgy and extreme – pitching our media partners against each other will invoke a lot of community spirit. And it will ensure we stay at the forefront of gamers’ minds
consumers at home will be able to join the mayhem through a Twitter-based voting mechanic. This lets them choose how to unleash the end of the world on the competitors.
for a good long run-up to release day.”
Finally, the weekend of release will see monster truck-mounted demo stands roll out to The Bullring in Birmingham and Westfield London. Sony: 020 7859 5000
Realtime signs Blaze by Dominic Sacco
DISTRIBUTOR Realtime will now deliver Blaze accessories to retail. The company will handle products such as Blaze’s range of Sega- licensed consoles. Realtime Distribution’s purchasing director Julie Darrington said: “The growing popularity of ‘old school’ titles, coupled with the increasing demand for portable gaming, means that we expect the Blaze Mega Drive Streets of
Rage and Master System handheld consoles to be a huge success.”
There are two portable consoles from Blaze – the Mega Drive Streets of Rage edition and the Master System. There is also a Blaze Mega Drive two-player TV console. Realtime: 01480 435881
CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS:
Zumba Fitness
Tales of Monkey Island Yakuza 4
Videos are available within the free iPad Edition of MCVon iTunes and the free Browser-based Digital Edition, which can be accessed at
MCVUK.com
ACTIVISION: Transformers: Dark of the Moonwill be released on June 24th. The game coincides with the launch of its cinematic namesake and will be available on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS.
SEGA: Virtua Tennis 4is smashing its way to UK and European retailers in two months’ time. The multiformat sports title arrives on April 29th.
BBC WORLDWIDE: The broadcaster is working on a free-to-play Doctor Who MMO – Worlds in Time. Socialising and cooperation is the focus of the game, which is being developed by independent Californian studio Three Rings.
MICROSOFT: Gears of War 3 will now be released worldwide on Tuesday, September 20th. It was previously given a loose autumn release window.
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