Bigger Than Life Video game ad spend (such as for the GTA IV mural in L.A., at left) now rivals those of major brands and Hollywood.
budgets used to launch today’s games would put those of many a movie to shame. Microsoft spent over $40 million dollars to promote the launch of their self-published Halo 3 in 2007, selling a record 3.3 million copies in the first few days for a first-week gross of $170 million, while the 2010 reboot of publisher Electronic Arts’ Medal of Honor series had a $50 million ad spend – a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.08 billion the company took in this year (as of the third quarter).
that collapsed the industry in the early 80’s (killing Atari), early 90’s concerns of in-game violence (leading to the creation of self-regulating bodies in the US and Europe) and late 90’s hubris (that killed Sega’s hardware division) would combine to stoke the fires of resilience and innovation in the companies that would make it to the 2000’s. Nintendo was one of the fortunate ones, buoyed by their N64 console and long overdue upgrades (lighter units, bigger screens, backlighting and – finally – color!) to their trademark handheld Gameboy platform (helped in no small part by the introduction of Pokémon in 1996). Despite a
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adobo magazine 2012 Digital Showcase
middling response to the Nintendo Gamecube console in 2002, Nintendo saw new success in the Gameboy’s successor, the DS, which introduced touch screen capabilities and their motion-controlled Wii console. The downfall of Sega’s hardware aspirations saw their spot in the market taken by newcomer Sony (in direct reaction to a spat with Nintendo) and, eventually, Microsoft; the companies would define the next generation of home consoles with their Playstation and X-Box lines, respectively. Ad spend has increased dramatically in the past few years; whereas before, a print ad of two kids playing on a Family Computer would suffice, the
As ad spend has increased, so too has the elaborate nature of the advertising, both in-game and out. Sports-based titles based on the evergreen NBA and FIFA franchises feature photo-realistic stadiums adorned many of the same advertisements one would find at actual sporting events, while games like James Bond adventure Everything or Nothing prominently featured 007 utilizing 3D recreations of Porsches and Ducati motorcycles – brands absent from the actual films! In-game product placement was particularly prevalent in Konami’s 2010 release, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which had, in a quest to stop a nuclear holocaust, Axe, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Bon Curry, Doritos, several Japanese magazines, Sony Walkman, clothing line Uniqlo, and even a mention of fellow-video game Assassins Creed II.