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MCV 19/02/10 13
MCV INTERVIEW LARRY SPARKS, VP OF BRAND, SQUARE ENIX PAL REGIONS
Bright Spark Square Enix claims Final Fantasy XIII will be one of Q1’s biggest entertainment launches when it lands on March 9th. Christopher Dring quizzes Larry Sparks, the publisher’s VP of brand for the PAL region, about the new game, challenges faced when releasing Japanese titles in the West and the secret to succeeding on PSP… You’re positioning Final Fantasy XIII as this quarter’s biggest game launch. But isn’t this series typically targeted at hardcore gamers? The success of the Final Fantasy series has been built upon delivering great games to an ever-growing global consumer base who have become very dedicated to the franchise. With Final Fantasy XIII not only does this continue, but through the build up activities over the last 18 months it has allowed us to connect to consumers who were previously not Final Fantasy fans, hence broadening the franchise’s appeal. The biggest game launch of the quarter... well I’ll let you be the judge of that, but we do know that Final Fantasy XIII will be successful.
SPARKS WILL FLY: Square Enix’s VP of brand hopes to broaden the appeal of the Final Fantasy franchise this March
How is FFXIII being tailored to a bigger audience? Outreach is key and from the get go we set out to make this an event rather than just another video game release. Witness the street date announcement campaign for example, over one million consumers, gamers and non-gamers connected to the experience within the first three days. They can see and feel something special is about to happen on Tuesday, March 9th. How is Leona Lewis’ involvement set to benefit the game’s launch? Leona Lewis has become a star in such a short space of time and her appeal to the ‘now generation’, plus her stylish classy music, provided a great opportunity to collaborate on Final Fantasy XIII. It has allowed us to reach out and touch consumers who may never have heard of the franchise, which can only be a great thing. Traditionally, every big Final Fantasy campaign takes full advantage of the game’s visuals. Is that set to continue this time around? The visual experience is one of the main
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Leona Lewis’ involvement allows us to reach out to consumers who may have never heard of Final Fantasy. Larry Sparks, Square Enix
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