THE FINALISTS 2012 Exclusive Retail Category Partner YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS
AWARD CRITERIA: Commercial success, Product/price promotions, Marketing activity, Use of technology, New launches
Previous Winner
2011: Dead Rising 2 DLC (Capcom)
RETAIL DIGITAL RETAIL INNOVATION
This new award can be won by any publisher, retailer or related business that has shown initiative or original ways to promote the sale of digital content, in-store or online
FIFA 12 ULTIMATE EDITION (EA) This special pre-order SKU for EAʼs phenomenally popular FIFA series included a host of digital extras for fans. The game came with 24 downloadable gold packs spread across the first six months after launch. This allowed players of the titleʼs massive FIFA Ultimate Team online mode – which generates the publisher around $100m each year – to receive free player packs and improve their squad. Considering these packs can be bought with real money or in-game coins, the Special Edition offered strong value to consumers and helped drive initial sales.
MOSHI MONSTERS MERCHANDISING AND
MAGAZINE (MIND CANDY) Moshi Monsters is a kidsʼ craze that started out as online social and virtual pet website targeted at children, but today itʼs much more than that, with developer Mind Candy expanding the franchise into other areas. Last year it launched a hugely popular magazine and ramped up its merchandise offering, with toys, keyrings and more being stocked in big retailers such as Hamleys and The Entertainer. Some merchandise even includes digital codes, allowing kids to unlock extra content in the game.
ONLIVE
The cloud gaming company launched its service in the UK last September. It handed out free microconsoles at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo, causing massive queues at the event, and of course creating a buzz for the service. OnLive also presented consumers with a tempting £1 launch offer to entice them. It says it experienced growth in the UK ʻmuch fasterʼ than when it launched in the US one year prior, reaching an audience of millions. It also had retail deals in place with subscription cards planned. The OnLive service allows users to buy or rent games individually by instantly steaming them directly through their PC, TV or tablet device. They can also pay £6.99 per month to access over 140 games with unlimited play.
PORTAL 2 PS3 (EA/VALVE) The PS3 edition of EA and Valveʼs Portal 2 is viewed by many as a sign of things to come: purchasing the game entitled consumers to download the PC edition for free. Itʼs a similar initiative to the increasingly common Triple Play and Digital Edition movie releases, which see Blu-rays and DVDs come with a code for a downloadable copy of the film, that users can enjoy on their mobile devices. As the debate surrounding consumer digital rights continues over the next few years, donʼt be surprised to see this tactic employed more often.
SKYLANDERS: SPYROʼS
ADVENTURE (ACTIVISION) Arguably the most innovative digital retail product released in years, this ambitious new IP brought the worlds of physical items and downloads closer than ever. Figurines contain a memory chip that interacts with the Portal of Power accessory bundled with the game. The character then appears in- game and some even unlock new areas. Triple-figure adventure packs include extra game content, essentially making DLC physical. The figures track each characterʼs progress for later use on any platform. Over 20m figures have been sold worldwide.