9 réponses à ce sujet

[wolfhowwl]

Who thought those were good?

 

Marketing needs to step it up. You're supposed to hype people on the game, not the other way around.

[Allan Schumacher]

doubt it, DA:I isn't as focused on the companions and their importance like ME2.. it's more about the Inquisitor and the Inquisition.

 

What?

[Allan Schumacher]

Stop attacking each other.

[Allan Schumacher]

I understand that not every piece of marketing is going to work for everyone.  So I'm more curious is this more along the lines of "I want you to release something I like" or is there a genuine belief that we're undermining our game and it will be less successful as a result.

 

Because you're really going to need more for me to look over for the latter.  If it's the former, well that's fair I expect that from any customer.

[Allan Schumacher]

My concern is that the quotes reduce the character to very simple concepts and could make more casual observers believe that BioWare can't write good characters anymore. Bio took criticism for its storytelling after both DA2 and ME3, and there are a fair few folks out there looking for the next thing to have a go at. But characterisation has been recognised as being pretty solid throughout the ride on the BioWare hate train. I wouldn't want critics to be able undermine the game by saying, effectively, 'lol Bioware cannot into characters anymore' just because these soundbites make the personalities sound more simplistic than they actually are. Whereas the character-writer interviews and the more extended blurbs do a great job of giving us a bit more 'meat' and making the individuals sound interesting (imo).

 

Just so I'm understanding, we're talking about the pictures like of Dorian, with the quote about how he's here to set things straight, and look terrific or whatever it was?

[Allan Schumacher]

Apologies for the late reply, my 4 year old had a playdate!

 

Yes, I'm meaning the little quotes on the pictures. 

 

Do you think it'd have been better if we simply teased Dorian and showed the picture, sans quote then?

 

 

I'm just asking because response, from my impression, has been mostly enthusiastic and positive.  Especially the interviews.

[Allan Schumacher]

I was like you once...but then I got burnt by people too many times.

 

Hence my cynical attitude. 

 

This is fine, but at the same time I think the only thing that can really remedy some of this is the game itself.  Because, if we were to successfully hype the crap out of the game for you and it didn't satisfy you, you'll only get more upset.

 

 

But if you're already "on guard" so to speak, I think there's inherent challenges to marketing especially with lighter weight beats.  People that don't have a feeling of being burned are possibly the ones being more enthusiastic then?

[Allan Schumacher]

I actually don't think Bioware can really afford not to hype the game a little. Especially after ME3 and DA2.

 

Well, internally our marketing kickoff was considered to be "started" at E3.  The extra stuff was mostly a lot of extra fluff.  Even PAX was seen more as "something special to share with fans" as opposed to an overt marketing beat.  It may be that marketing is looking on snowballing things.

[Allan Schumacher]

However these initial efforts seem rather careless and lackluster in quality and my impression is that they are having a negative effect

 

It could be that where you're looking is mostly like minded people.  Depending on where I go, I'll find different opinions.  I just put out a question for twitter for whether or not people were enjoying the character blurbs, and it was a sea of enthusiastic yes.  I don't know if I got one that said no.  Now maybe they wouldn't say, but I think more likely that the group that follows me on twitter isn't randomly selected and they happen to all be excited about it.

 

 

There's other metrics that I don't have any visibility into, such as social trending, page hits, preorder reality vs expectations and whatnot.  Marketing is a bit of a mystical black hole for me (I see it as a lot of art and less science, but that's me speaking ignorantly.  Probably a lot of case studies and whatnot but so many variables....)

[Allan Schumacher]

Course correction time now though