BUILDING A NEW IP Dead cert
Deep Silver’s upcoming horror title Dead Island took the internet by storm with its February reveal, but what is the company doing to ensure the game will be a hit? MCV asks sales and marketing boss Paul Nicholls
ANY NEW IP must do something special to grab the attentions of consumers and the media. Deep Silver’s Dead Island accomplished this with its much- discussed trailer back in February. The footage got the entire industry talking with its cinematic depiction of family being overwhelmed by zombies. The trailer, created by Axis Animation, has since won an award at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, and Deep Silver has racked up more than a few accolades of its own. At last month’s E3 Expo, Dead
Islandreceived various best of E3 awards from the media (see ‘Knocking ‘em dead’) – proof that the title has lost no momentum since its reveal. “We had an absolutely fantastic reception from the media and show attendees,” says Deep Silver’s sales and marketing director Paul Nicholls. “In our press room, every single session was jam packed with journalists and we wound up having to keep a waiting list to try and accommodate everyone. “In all, we were able to have almost 200 journalists get hands on time. Plus, Square Enix – our US distribution partner – had a playable demo of the game running in their booth on six stations and they were absolutely jam packed with queues of people waiting to play.” An online study by
FanCensus.com even named Dead Islandas one of the most visible products of E3, both at the show and in the coverage surrounding it. It was the only new IP to place in the Top 20.
DEAD ISLAND RISING
So why, at a show dominated by the likes of Wii U, Vita, Call of Dutyand Battlefield 3, was a relatively small title like Dead Islandable to make such a big noise? “Well, based on the fan interest and excitement, we don’t see Dead Island as a small title necessarily” Nicholls says.
“The announcement and the launch trailer in February really helped us
22 July 15th 2011
TOP 20 VISIBLE PRODUCTS OF E3
1. Mass Effect 3 2. Battlefield 3 3. Assassin’s Creed Revelations
4. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Deep Silver’s Paul Nicholls (inset) is thrilled by the E3 response to Dead Island
put Dead Islandon the global map in terms of awareness. What it achieved in its first 48 hour was unprecedented and I’m sure we will be the benchmark for many major publishers, so that was a fantastic start for us.” But the publisher knows hype needs to be sustained, and has been working hard to keep Dead Islandin the minds of press and gamers. Last week, it held a UK preview event dedicated to the co-op mode, one of the game’s key selling points. “We can’t just rest on our laurels,” adds Nicholls. “Ultimately, the game has to stand on its own. So we’ve been slowly pulling back the curtain to show people something beyond the subtle hints in the short, to reveal what the game is all about. “Since February, we’ve shown two rounds of gameplay and produced some extensive gameplay videos with our media partners so that people could get a glimpse of what the game is like.
“Had the features we’ve shown not met and possibly exceeded the fans’ hopes for their next favourite zombie game, I’m sure we would not be standing out among industry giants.”
“
We can’t just rest on our laurels. Dead Island has to stand on its own.
Paul Nicholls, Deep Silver
Dead Island arrives for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and September 9th, and you can bet that Deep Silver will be pulling out all the stops to ensure the launch stands out. With plenty of media outlets and consumers heartily backing the title, Dead Islandhas the potential to be one of the biggest new IP launches of 2011.
5. Tomb Raider 6. BioShock Infinite 7. Far Cry 3 8. Need for Speed: The Run 9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 11. Batman: Arkham City 12. FIFA 12 13. Hitman: Absolution 14. Dead Island 15. Saints Row III 16. Prototype 2 17. The Adventures of Tintin 18. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Fortune 19. Rayman Origins 20. Brothers In Arms 4
(Source:
FanCensus.com, monitoring 60+ websites and 160+ print media between June 3rd and June 13th, 2011)
KNOCKING ‘EM DEAD Dead Islandreceived the following after E3: ■ GamerNode Best of E3 2011 Winner
■ GamesRadar E3 2011 MVG Selection
■ GameTrailers Best of E3 Nominee – Best New IP
■ Machinima Best of E3 Nominee – Best Original Game
■ VGChartz Best of E3 Nominee
■ Co-Optimus E3 2011 Co-Op Game of Show
■ RipTen Best of E3 2011 – Best Zombie Game
■ X-Play Best of E3 ‘11 Nominee – Best Action/Adventure Game
www.mcvuk.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48