LEICESTER Square is no stranger to premieres, but it has never hosted many like Mad Catz Unveiled. Held today (Friday, July 13th) in The Penthouse bar, the event will see the company showcase its latest top-of-the-range headsets, high-end flight sticks and even self- published video games built specifically for these accessories. But the goal isn’t just to sell a few controllers into retail – it’s to demonstrate that Mad Catz has become more than just a vendor of gaming peripherals.
“Other hardware companies concentrate on a single area of the industry, but through our many brands, it can be challenging to communicate all that we have to offer,” says Mad Catz Europe’s marketing manager Rachel Gordon.
“This event has been designed to unveil all that’s new from Mad Catz and our numerous brands in an informative, fun and entertaining manner. It gives our retail and distribution partners, as well as key media, a chance to be the first to try upcoming products. It’s also the perfect oppertunity for those who weren’t at E3 to check out what we have just around the corner”. Mad Catz is splitting the showcase into different zones to highlight the various entertainment sectors it operates in. The movie zone, for example, will allow attendees to watch recent movies using surround sound headsets, while the fighting station gives them a chance to show off their beat ‘em up skills using the firm’s FightSticks.
The team has even set up a full simulation cockpit for its Saitek flight accessories and its new dogfighting game. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but Mad Catz is proud to be running this event independently. “Traditionally we have worked with the likes of Enta to organise consumer-focused events that are successful in themselves,” Gordon explains. “However, by staging the event ourselves, we can focus solely on the unique entertainment
18 July 13th 2012
People don’t associate Mad Catz as game publishers but this is not a new area for us Rachel Gordon, Mad Catz
“ Mad Catz’s
various accessory brands will be shown in
Leicester Square
James Batchelor finds out why a special London event will prove there’s more to peripherals specialist Mad Catz than headsets and controllers
experiences Mad Catz and its brands can offer gamers. “We like to believe that
staging such an event ourselves is a reflection of the broad nature of products we are bringing to market and the scope of the ambition we have as a company to lead in this challenging economic environment.”
SERIOUS DAMAGE
A highlight will be the debut of Damage Inc. Pacific Squadron WWII, an aerial combat title that Mad Catz is publishing for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The game has been designed specifically to work with the company’s flight sticks and was shown to much acclaim at E3. Gordon says Mad Catz Unveiled is also crucial in reminding people that the firm is now a full games publisher: “People don’t associate Mad Catz as a game publisher but the truth is that this is not an entirely new area for us. “Recently we took over publishing duties for Rock Band 3and we see the development of our own software as a natural evolution for the company. We plan on supporting Damage Incwith a robust PR and marketing campaign and see today’s event as the unofficial kick off.”
Another important brand at the event is the best-selling Tritton
range of headsets, which has established Mad Catz as a major player in an extremely competitive and lucrative market. “The Tritton brand is absolutely
key for Mad Catz,” says Gordon. “Since introducing the brand to Europe, we have seen it grow dramatically and our exclusive range of Xbox 360 headsets has allowed us to broaden our distribution channel even further. “Tritton will be heavily displayed at the event both through our new range of ‘Kunai’ stereo headsets and our flagship Warhead 7.1, the first and only truly wireless Xbox 360 headset in the world.”
But the most vital element of the Mad Catz Unveiled event is the consumers, the loyal fans that watch the peripherals vendor’s every move to find out more about its latest products. At today’s event in Leicester Square, these gamers will be able to try out the best items in the company’s product range and take on members of Team Mad Catz at various arcade challenges. “Development of products like our range of FightSticks simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community and we’re keen to broaden the dialogue with our supporters. This is why we’re investing heavily in social media.”