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NEWS
Disney and GAME team up at Gadget Show Live Companies join forces to showcase Split/Second: Velocity to thousands of consumers by James Batchelor THOUSANDS OF consumers got to sample Split/Second at last week’s Gadget Show Live thanks to a collaboration between GAME and Disney. The publisher shared the retail giant’s stand at the consumer event, which took place at Birmingham’s NEC from Wednesday, April 7th to Sunday, April 11th. Disney took up a quarter of GAME’s stand with an eightconsole set-up showcasing the new racer’s multiplayer mode. The firm also showed trailers of other upcoming releases. More than 88,000 people attended The Gadget Show Live, with the publisher reporting overwhelmingly positive feedback for
Split/Second and GAME had a big presence at The Gadget Show Live
Split/Second from both gamers and the media. “The response from the public to Split/Second was simply fantastic,” said Disney’s sales manager Daniel Hall. “The eight pods were busy throughout the five days. I can’t recall a time when there was a free seat or when someone wasn’t waiting for a turn.
“It was a brilliant partnership with GAME and something we’d look to replicating next year.” Dean Shaw, local marketing manager for GAME added: “This was GAME’s first year at The Gadget Show Live and it was amazing. Our stand was continually busy and it was great that Disney let our
customers get the first chance to play Split/Second. The feedback from grans to kids is that it is a fantastic game.” Disney also sponsored the main competition held during a live hour-long edition of the TV show filmed at the event. Split/Second: Velocity is due on May 21st for 360 and PS3.
Oz supplier exits games DISTRIBUTOR Funtastic has backed out of the Australian games market. The supplier will now focus on toys and DVD. The decision follows tough economic conditions in the territory, and the firm doesn’t expect things to improve moving forward. “The decision to exit games was made based on sustainability and profitability for the future,” said business manager Gavin Wulfsohn. “2009 was tough and 2010 doesn’t look much different. Retailers are still justifiably being cautious. “I believe the days of a software-only distributor in this territory have passed – the margins are too small.” Funtastic distributed its last game – Alice in Wonderland – in March. For more on the New Zealand and Australian market, head to page 24
Disney: 020 8222 1413
WEEK CAMPAIGN OF THE R 3: TRI MONSTER HUNTE Keen to make the series’ Wii debut a true triple-A launch, Nintendo has drawn up a monster marketing plan to run into the summer…
RELEASED: APRIL 23 FORMATS: WII PUBLISHER: CAPCOM/NINTENDO
CINEMA/TV Game trailers are being shown before screenings of Clash Of The Titans in cinemas nationwide, racking up an estimated 1m impressions. Teaser trailers began appearing on TV on March 28th with a takeover running around the movie 28 Weeks Later on Channel 4. This has since spread to other key spots on multiple channels, with ads running alongside Lost, 24 and other male-focused dramas. A launch TV campaign will target similar channels towards the end of April.
DEVELOPER: CAPCOM PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: KOCH CONTACT: 0870 027 0985
ONLINE Initial teaser advertising has already been running across all major gaming sites, with
the second phase kicking off this week. Launch week will see site takeovers on the likes of IGN, GameSpot, Eurogamer and various Future sites. All online advertising will link to the Facebook hub, encouraging established Monster Hunter fans to spread the word. OUTDOOR The outdoor campaign will
corridor. Over the last month, Nintendo has hosted a range of sampling events around the country, with gamers booking places through the Facebook hub. feature giant billboards placed in a number of key locations across London and other large UK cities. There will also be digital outdoor advertising along the M4
RETAIL A full catalogue of POS items will be available in stores both before and after launch, focusing on the game’s key monsters.