THE FINALISTS 2012 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS Previous Winners 10th Anniversary
2008: Nintendo 2009: Nintendo 2010: Sega 2011: Electronic Arts
This award is open to all PR staff who worked on UK games industry campaigns during the past 12 months
ACTIVISION
The publishing giant had a stellar line-up in 2011, from Call of Duty to GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. Each one received a dedicated PR campaign, with Skylanders catching up on Call of Duty with the amount of mainstream media attention it received. Modern Warfare 3 was undoubtedly the biggest launch of the year, with a massive party at Old Billingsgate attracting celebrities and consumers alike. Meanwhile, Skylanders was present at the opening of Westfield: Stratford City with its sampling tour in association with Nickelodoen.
BETHESDA 2011 was the busiest years in Bethesdaʼs history. Brink and Hunted: The Demonʼs Forge bucked the trend for new IP and achieved high profile launches during the summer, with extensive coverage throughout the specialist press. Bethesda also reminded the world why id was a pioneer in the crowded FPS genre with the release of Rage. And The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim stood shoulder-to- shoulder with the likes of Call of Duty and Assassinʼs Creed in an incredibly competitive Q4, establishing itself as one of the biggest releases of the year.
ELECTRONIC ARTS The EA UK PR team explored every opportunity to raise the profile for its biggest and best titles. The publisherʼs games dominated over 50 magazine covers across both specialist press and mainstream, with thousands of pages covering the likes of Battlefield 3, FIFA 12, Need For Speed: The Run, Star Wars: The Old Republic and partner games such as Crysis 2 and Portal 2. EA also attracted mainstream attention with events like the House of Wayne: Pro FIFA 12 Tournament and Battlefield 3 Tanksis – armoured tanks that taxied commuters to work.
NAMCO BANDAI (WITH PREMIER PR)
The UK arm of Namco Bandai has done a commendable job of ensuring its titles stand out in a market dominated by bigger gaming brands. Smart PR stunts and impressive coverage reached publications ranging from OXM to OK! Magazine – thanks in no small part to Namcoʼs partners at Premier PR. Particular PR highlights included the December Fight Club – part of Namcoʼs collaboration with Capcom on Street Fighter X Tekken – and the April Foolʼs fake purchase of a jet fighter to promote Ace Combat.
NINTENDO
(WITH BELL POTTINGER) Nintendo kicked off 2011 in style with a 3DS showcase in Amsterdam, building hype for the handheldʼs launch. The event gained coverage in more than just specialist games mags, taking page space in national newspapers and more. The March launch was covered by BBC Breakfast and BBC World News, in addition to specialist, national and consumer press – all in spite of competition with the iPad 2, which launched on the same day. Other highlights included year-round support for its varied and prolifc software slate for 3DS, DS and Wii.
SCE UK (WITH JOHN DOE AND
JARDINE INTERNATIONAL) For Uncharted 3, SCE UK commissioned a short film by Blood Diamond director Ed Zwick to explore what defines a great action hero. Another film, The Essex Guide to Partying and Pulling, was commissioned to complement DanceStar Partyʼs sponsorship of The Only Way Is Essex. A theatrical company was brought in to create a ʻwalk of terrorʼ for the Resistance 3 launch, emulating a Chimera invasion, and celebrity comic strips were created around the release of superhero sequel Infamous 2.