All Things Promotional Marketing
Video Game Marketing
Learn Your Halo History
Sep 27th
Gaming Insight by Perrin Morasco
Platform: XBOX 360
The newly released “Halo: Reach” is technically the fifth installment of the Halo storyline. First came “Halo: Combat Evolved” in 2001, released in conjunction with Microsoft’s original XBOX. “Halo: Combat Evolved” is considered by many to be the finest launch title ever made. There is even some debate whether Microsoft’s original XBOX would have even survived without Halo. The statistics supported the debate, with an attach rate of over 50% for every console sold. The game went on to sell over 5 million copies (That’s a gross of over $250 million!) !) This game had no online multiplayer capabilities as there was no online service yet available. Microsoft’s Xbox Live service would not be introduced for another year.
Next came the highly anticipated “Halo 2” (2004). The developers at Bungie smartly chose to stick with what worked in the original. They improved the graphics, added more weapons, and best of all, added online multiplayer through the now well established “XBOX Live” service. The game sold 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours on the shelf. For you movie buffs reading this, Halo 2 out grossed “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” taking the crown of the highest grossing opening day entertainment release in history, the first time a video game held this honor. (Modern Warfare 2 currently holds the crown at $401 million in a single day!) The game went on to sell 6.3 million copies and, by a wide margin, remained the most played Xbox live title until late 2006. More >
Achievement Unlocked: Business Lessons Learned from Xbox 360
Aug 25th
I like to consider myself a gamer and the Xbox 360 is my system of choice. Xbox 360 was the first next-gen console to debut and being a Sony Playstation devotee, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I researched it thoroughly and after reading previews, seeing images and videos, I decided this was something I had to own. I knew the launch date was drawing near but had no plan of action to secure one system of what I knew would be a limited supply. So I decided to patrol the retail stores to see how bad the lines were. At 11:30pm on the November pre-launch day, I found that Target had a surprisingly short line and decided without cold weather preparation to wait in it until 7am. (Probably something I’ll never do again) I succeeded in my efforts as the 360 was everything I wanted it to be. 
However there is one small feature on the 360 that didn’t really factor my purchase but has been a really enjoyable part of the experience. More >