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HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA
-------------------------------------------------
Rightly or wrongly, hype plays a MAJOR part in the success of games in this age of console-gaming, and, as has been proved time and time again, hype is the biggest selling tool any company can have for their products. The media is all-powerful, and if your product is discussed across the board by the media, success can't be far away.
One only has to look to Metal Gear Solid 2, which has sold by the bucket-loads since it's recent release. Why did Metal Gear sell so incredibly well? The simple answer is, it's a great game. Really superbly made, and cleverly markets. BUT, how many people rushed out to buy the game NOT on the basis of the demo's which wowed most PS2 owners, but because of the hype generated by the media? Newspaper articles, magazine reviews, radio reports, TV-show discussion. The chances are, a large percentage of the copies of MGS2 that have been sold have been sold on the basis of the hype that has surrounded the game SINCE Konami confirmed it's development. Parents will have heard about the game and bought it as presents for their children, and kids will have rushed out to buy the game not really knowing a great deal about it, or even having played the demo (which everyone who owns a PS2 really should have done).
The game would have sold well anyway because of it's amazing content, but from a marketing point of view, a large profit has been generated by the media, and by those whose decision to buy the game was based solely on the hype surrounding it.
Why did Metal Gear Solid invoke so much discussion in the media though? Why did we find the game SHROUDED in hype MONTHS before it's release? Hype doesn't just happen. New games developers don't usually find their first releases receiving praise from the media, because hype is actually something that has to be worked towards.
It sounds strange, but Konami earnt the hype that surrounds Metal Gear Solid 2. They earnt it some years ago, when Hideo Kojima came up with Metal Gear Solid 1 on the PS1. When Konami released Metal Gear it became the flagship game of the PS1, and is still to this day ranked in many people's "BEST GAME EVER" list. By the standards of console games at the time MGS was released, it really was a magnificent work of art.
The success of the game was so great that any follow-up was BOUND to receive mass attention by the media. When MGS2 was announced, hardly anyone doubted that it would be an AMAZING success, and when something is so widely expected to be a success, the media generally listen, and then discuss on a wide scale. You'd have found it hard to avoid hearing about MGS2 over the last months, let alone weeks, when newspapers, magazines, the radio, and TV have been filled with articles, reviews, discussions, etc, etc, etc, on Kojima's latest masterpiece. Theoretically, Konami didn't need to invest anywhere NEAR as much money as they normally would into the release of this game, because the media was guaranteed to produce enough hype of it's own doing to make the game the most anticipated of the year!
That's not to say that Konami planned Metal Gear as a long-term marketing tool, with the emphasis placed on pulling out all the stops so that any future releases would be guaranteed to sell, but in this day and age of media domination, it can't have been overlooked by those working on the original game.
Similarly, any follow-up to Rare's classic Goldeneye was always going to sell extremely well. Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it, and will always be remembered for the fantastic leap it made from gaming of old, to the new generation of games-playing. Playstation tried to emulate Goldeneye for years after it's release, and always fell WAY short. Playstation owners yearned for a game as complete as Goldeneye, and wished for something half as good as Goldeneye to prove Sony's superiority.
Whether or not Perfect Dark ever really made any progress on Goldeneye is debatable. My view is Goldeneye would NEVER be bettered because it was the first of it's kind, a revolutionary. Perfect Dark, whilst good, just had too much to do if it wanted to move out of the shadow of it's predecessor. However, Perfect Dark was still a massive success, and was possibly the last MAJOR game of N64's existence.
Perfect Dark was always dubbed "THE FUTURISTIC FOLLOWUP TO GOLDENEYE" just as Metal Gear Solid 2 is most often refereed to as "THE SEQUEL TO THE GREATEST GAME EVER"
The fact is, companies like Konami and Rare EARN media attention for their products, because their work outclasses that of many other developers/publishers. A great deal of the marketing process is done for companies like this, and a little pressure is taken off trying to find ways of selling games.
So, maybe, the way forward isn't necessarily working on new "shocking" tactics in advertisements, maybe the way forward is to earn media attention? If you work hard on games and don't just throw out anything in hope that your marketing tactics will help is sell, then the rewards are minimal. It's been proven though, with time, care, and effort (ala Metal Gear 1 and Goldeneye) the rewards are higher, and longer-lasting.
Taking advantage of the media is simple. It just requires a little work.
You get out, what you put in.
HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA.
-------------------------------------------------
Rightly or wrongly, hype plays a MAJOR part in the success of games in this age of console-gaming, and, as has been proved time and time again, hype is the biggest selling tool any company can have for their products. The media is all-powerful, and if your product is discussed across the board by the media, success can't be far away.
One only has to look to Metal Gear Solid 2, which has sold by the bucket-loads since it's recent release. Why did Metal Gear sell so incredibly well? The simple answer is, it's a great game. Really superbly made, and cleverly markets. BUT, how many people rushed out to buy the game NOT on the basis of the demo's which wowed most PS2 owners, but because of the hype generated by the media? Newspaper articles, magazine reviews, radio reports, TV-show discussion. The chances are, a large percentage of the copies of MGS2 that have been sold have been sold on the basis of the hype that has surrounded the game SINCE Konami confirmed it's development. Parents will have heard about the game and bought it as presents for their children, and kids will have rushed out to buy the game not really knowing a great deal about it, or even having played the demo (which everyone who owns a PS2 really should have done).
The game would have sold well anyway because of it's amazing content, but from a marketing point of view, a large profit has been generated by the media, and by those whose decision to buy the game was based solely on the hype surrounding it.
Why did Metal Gear Solid invoke so much discussion in the media though? Why did we find the game SHROUDED in hype MONTHS before it's release? Hype doesn't just happen. New games developers don't usually find their first releases receiving praise from the media, because hype is actually something that has to be worked towards.
It sounds strange, but Konami earnt the hype that surrounds Metal Gear Solid 2. They earnt it some years ago, when Hideo Kojima came up with Metal Gear Solid 1 on the PS1. When Konami released Metal Gear it became the flagship game of the PS1, and is still to this day ranked in many people's "BEST GAME EVER" list. By the standards of console games at the time MGS was released, it really was a magnificent work of art.
The success of the game was so great that any follow-up was BOUND to receive mass attention by the media. When MGS2 was announced, hardly anyone doubted that it would be an AMAZING success, and when something is so widely expected to be a success, the media generally listen, and then discuss on a wide scale. You'd have found it hard to avoid hearing about MGS2 over the last months, let alone weeks, when newspapers, magazines, the radio, and TV have been filled with articles, reviews, discussions, etc, etc, etc, on Kojima's latest masterpiece. Theoretically, Konami didn't need to invest anywhere NEAR as much money as they normally would into the release of this game, because the media was guaranteed to produce enough hype of it's own doing to make the game the most anticipated of the year!
That's not to say that Konami planned Metal Gear as a long-term marketing tool, with the emphasis placed on pulling out all the stops so that any future releases would be guaranteed to sell, but in this day and age of media domination, it can't have been overlooked by those working on the original game.
Similarly, any follow-up to Rare's classic Goldeneye was always going to sell extremely well. Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it, and will always be remembered for the fantastic leap it made from gaming of old, to the new generation of games-playing. Playstation tried to emulate Goldeneye for years after it's release, and always fell WAY short. Playstation owners yearned for a game as complete as Goldeneye, and wished for something half as good as Goldeneye to prove Sony's superiority.
Whether or not Perfect Dark ever really made any progress on Goldeneye is debatable. My view is Goldeneye would NEVER be bettered because it was the first of it's kind, a revolutionary. Perfect Dark, whilst good, just had too much to do if it wanted to move out of the shadow of it's predecessor. However, Perfect Dark was still a massive success, and was possibly the last MAJOR game of N64's existence.
Perfect Dark was always dubbed "THE FUTURISTIC FOLLOWUP TO GOLDENEYE" just as Metal Gear Solid 2 is most often refereed to as "THE SEQUEL TO THE GREATEST GAME EVER"
The fact is, companies like Konami and Rare EARN media attention for their products, because their work outclasses that of many other developers/publishers. A great deal of the marketing process is done for companies like this, and a little pressure is taken off trying to find ways of selling games.
So, maybe, the way forward isn't necessarily working on new "shocking" tactics in advertisements, maybe the way forward is to earn media attention? If you work hard on games and don't just throw out anything in hope that your marketing tactics will help is sell, then the rewards are minimal. It's been proven though, with time, care, and effort (ala Metal Gear 1 and Goldeneye) the rewards are higher, and longer-lasting.
Taking advantage of the media is simple. It just requires a little work.
You get out, what you put in.
HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA.
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HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA
-------------------------------------------------
Rightly or wrongly, hype plays a MAJOR part in the success of games in this age of console-gaming, and, as has been proved time and time again, hype is the biggest selling tool any company can have for their products. The media is all-powerful, and if your product is discussed across the board by the media, success can't be far away.
One only has to look to Metal Gear Solid 2, which has sold by the bucket-loads since it's recent release. Why did Metal Gear sell so incredibly well? The simple answer is, it's a great game. Really superbly made, and cleverly markets. BUT, how many people rushed out to buy the game NOT on the basis of the demo's which wowed most PS2 owners, but because of the hype generated by the media? Newspaper articles, magazine reviews, radio reports, TV-show discussion. The chances are, a large percentage of the copies of MGS2 that have been sold have been sold on the basis of the hype that has surrounded the game SINCE Konami confirmed it's development. Parents will have heard about the game and bought it as presents for their children, and kids will have rushed out to buy the game not really knowing a great deal about it, or even having played the demo (which everyone who owns a PS2 really should have done).
The game would have sold well anyway because of it's amazing content, but from a marketing point of view, a large profit has been generated by the media, and by those whose decision to buy the game was based solely on the hype surrounding it.
Why did Metal Gear Solid invoke so much discussion in the media though? Why did we find the game SHROUDED in hype MONTHS before it's release? Hype doesn't just happen. New games developers don't usually find their first releases receiving praise from the media, because hype is actually something that has to be worked towards.
It sounds strange, but Konami earnt the hype that surrounds Metal Gear Solid 2. They earnt it some years ago, when Hideo Kojima came up with Metal Gear Solid 1 on the PS1. When Konami released Metal Gear it became the flagship game of the PS1, and is still to this day ranked in many people's "BEST GAME EVER" list. By the standards of console games at the time MGS was released, it really was a magnificent work of art.
The success of the game was so great that any follow-up was BOUND to receive mass attention by the media. When MGS2 was announced, hardly anyone doubted that it would be an AMAZING success, and when something is so widely expected to be a success, the media generally listen, and then discuss on a wide scale. You'd have found it hard to avoid hearing about MGS2 over the last months, let alone weeks, when newspapers, magazines, the radio, and TV have been filled with articles, reviews, discussions, etc, etc, etc, on Kojima's latest masterpiece. Theoretically, Konami didn't need to invest anywhere NEAR as much money as they normally would into the release of this game, because the media was guaranteed to produce enough hype of it's own doing to make the game the most anticipated of the year!
That's not to say that Konami planned Metal Gear as a long-term marketing tool, with the emphasis placed on pulling out all the stops so that any future releases would be guaranteed to sell, but in this day and age of media domination, it can't have been overlooked by those working on the original game.
Similarly, any follow-up to Rare's classic Goldeneye was always going to sell extremely well. Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it, and will always be remembered for the fantastic leap it made from gaming of old, to the new generation of games-playing. Playstation tried to emulate Goldeneye for years after it's release, and always fell WAY short. Playstation owners yearned for a game as complete as Goldeneye, and wished for something half as good as Goldeneye to prove Sony's superiority.
Whether or not Perfect Dark ever really made any progress on Goldeneye is debatable. My view is Goldeneye would NEVER be bettered because it was the first of it's kind, a revolutionary. Perfect Dark, whilst good, just had too much to do if it wanted to move out of the shadow of it's predecessor. However, Perfect Dark was still a massive success, and was possibly the last MAJOR game of N64's existence.
Perfect Dark was always dubbed "THE FUTURISTIC FOLLOWUP TO GOLDENEYE" just as Metal Gear Solid 2 is most often refereed to as "THE SEQUEL TO THE GREATEST GAME EVER"
The fact is, companies like Konami and Rare EARN media attention for their products, because their work outclasses that of many other developers/publishers. A great deal of the marketing process is done for companies like this, and a little pressure is taken off trying to find ways of selling games.
So, maybe, the way forward isn't necessarily working on new "shocking" tactics in advertisements, maybe the way forward is to earn media attention? If you work hard on games and don't just throw out anything in hope that your marketing tactics will help is sell, then the rewards are minimal. It's been proven though, with time, care, and effort (ala Metal Gear 1 and Goldeneye) the rewards are higher, and longer-lasting.
Taking advantage of the media is simple. It just requires a little work.
You get out, what you put in.
HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA.
-------------------------------------------------
Rightly or wrongly, hype plays a MAJOR part in the success of games in this age of console-gaming, and, as has been proved time and time again, hype is the biggest selling tool any company can have for their products. The media is all-powerful, and if your product is discussed across the board by the media, success can't be far away.
One only has to look to Metal Gear Solid 2, which has sold by the bucket-loads since it's recent release. Why did Metal Gear sell so incredibly well? The simple answer is, it's a great game. Really superbly made, and cleverly markets. BUT, how many people rushed out to buy the game NOT on the basis of the demo's which wowed most PS2 owners, but because of the hype generated by the media? Newspaper articles, magazine reviews, radio reports, TV-show discussion. The chances are, a large percentage of the copies of MGS2 that have been sold have been sold on the basis of the hype that has surrounded the game SINCE Konami confirmed it's development. Parents will have heard about the game and bought it as presents for their children, and kids will have rushed out to buy the game not really knowing a great deal about it, or even having played the demo (which everyone who owns a PS2 really should have done).
The game would have sold well anyway because of it's amazing content, but from a marketing point of view, a large profit has been generated by the media, and by those whose decision to buy the game was based solely on the hype surrounding it.
Why did Metal Gear Solid invoke so much discussion in the media though? Why did we find the game SHROUDED in hype MONTHS before it's release? Hype doesn't just happen. New games developers don't usually find their first releases receiving praise from the media, because hype is actually something that has to be worked towards.
It sounds strange, but Konami earnt the hype that surrounds Metal Gear Solid 2. They earnt it some years ago, when Hideo Kojima came up with Metal Gear Solid 1 on the PS1. When Konami released Metal Gear it became the flagship game of the PS1, and is still to this day ranked in many people's "BEST GAME EVER" list. By the standards of console games at the time MGS was released, it really was a magnificent work of art.
The success of the game was so great that any follow-up was BOUND to receive mass attention by the media. When MGS2 was announced, hardly anyone doubted that it would be an AMAZING success, and when something is so widely expected to be a success, the media generally listen, and then discuss on a wide scale. You'd have found it hard to avoid hearing about MGS2 over the last months, let alone weeks, when newspapers, magazines, the radio, and TV have been filled with articles, reviews, discussions, etc, etc, etc, on Kojima's latest masterpiece. Theoretically, Konami didn't need to invest anywhere NEAR as much money as they normally would into the release of this game, because the media was guaranteed to produce enough hype of it's own doing to make the game the most anticipated of the year!
That's not to say that Konami planned Metal Gear as a long-term marketing tool, with the emphasis placed on pulling out all the stops so that any future releases would be guaranteed to sell, but in this day and age of media domination, it can't have been overlooked by those working on the original game.
Similarly, any follow-up to Rare's classic Goldeneye was always going to sell extremely well. Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it, and will always be remembered for the fantastic leap it made from gaming of old, to the new generation of games-playing. Playstation tried to emulate Goldeneye for years after it's release, and always fell WAY short. Playstation owners yearned for a game as complete as Goldeneye, and wished for something half as good as Goldeneye to prove Sony's superiority.
Whether or not Perfect Dark ever really made any progress on Goldeneye is debatable. My view is Goldeneye would NEVER be bettered because it was the first of it's kind, a revolutionary. Perfect Dark, whilst good, just had too much to do if it wanted to move out of the shadow of it's predecessor. However, Perfect Dark was still a massive success, and was possibly the last MAJOR game of N64's existence.
Perfect Dark was always dubbed "THE FUTURISTIC FOLLOWUP TO GOLDENEYE" just as Metal Gear Solid 2 is most often refereed to as "THE SEQUEL TO THE GREATEST GAME EVER"
The fact is, companies like Konami and Rare EARN media attention for their products, because their work outclasses that of many other developers/publishers. A great deal of the marketing process is done for companies like this, and a little pressure is taken off trying to find ways of selling games.
So, maybe, the way forward isn't necessarily working on new "shocking" tactics in advertisements, maybe the way forward is to earn media attention? If you work hard on games and don't just throw out anything in hope that your marketing tactics will help is sell, then the rewards are minimal. It's been proven though, with time, care, and effort (ala Metal Gear 1 and Goldeneye) the rewards are higher, and longer-lasting.
Taking advantage of the media is simple. It just requires a little work.
You get out, what you put in.
HYPE - THE SIMPLE FORMULA.
Hey man, your name is damn cool
Good post too
Good post, very VERY similar to one I posted about 3 or 4 days ago. Never mind though, your is a good'un.
½pint wrote:
> Good post, very VERY similar to one I posted about 3 or 4 days ago. Never mind
> though, your is a good'un.
Cheers. Unfortunately I don't get enough time to read as many posts on this forum as i'd like. Sorry if it appeared TOO similar to your post.
I was just wanted to write about something that'd been bugging me over the attitudes of some developers.
Also, unless i'm "barking up the wrong tree", I beleive i've found another "League" fan who uses these forums. I didn't think any more existed! So, did I notice the slight "League" reference, or have I become so totally obsessed that i'm reading too much into normal comments?
> Good post, very VERY similar to one I posted about 3 or 4 days ago. Never mind
> though, your is a good'un.
Cheers. Unfortunately I don't get enough time to read as many posts on this forum as i'd like. Sorry if it appeared TOO similar to your post.
I was just wanted to write about something that'd been bugging me over the attitudes of some developers.
Also, unless i'm "barking up the wrong tree", I beleive i've found another "League" fan who uses these forums. I didn't think any more existed! So, did I notice the slight "League" reference, or have I become so totally obsessed that i'm reading too much into normal comments?
Hype killed the Dreamcast :(
Ahh, ADH
Knew I'd seen that tagline before
Congrats on the GAD - good post
Knew I'd seen that tagline before
Congrats on the GAD - good post
"Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it"
Er, how did it do that exactly?
People were playing multiplayer FPS on PCs for years before GE was released.
Er, how did it do that exactly?
People were playing multiplayer FPS on PCs for years before GE was released.
Your Honour wrote:
> "Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it"
Er, how did it do
> that exactly?
People were playing multiplayer FPS on PCs for years before GE
> was released.
I'm not debating that, but the fact is Goldeneye made a bigger impact than any of the FPS's before it.
There can be no doubting it's probably the one game people will remember the N64 for, because it was that successful. Goldeneye bought FPS to the forefront of console gaming, and look how many titles have tried immitating the formula since.
> "Goldeneye revolutionised gaming as we know it"
Er, how did it do
> that exactly?
People were playing multiplayer FPS on PCs for years before GE
> was released.
I'm not debating that, but the fact is Goldeneye made a bigger impact than any of the FPS's before it.
There can be no doubting it's probably the one game people will remember the N64 for, because it was that successful. Goldeneye bought FPS to the forefront of console gaming, and look how many titles have tried immitating the formula since.
good post, well done on the GAD
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