(I don't really dig into this section of the forums much so if this thread topic's been created before, then so be it.)
In today's gaming world, YouTube, VGA's, magazines, the internet, and word-of-mouth is currently the most common ways to advertise the latest and greatest, in terms of new, cutting edge video games. Certainly, these are all effective methods and have been proven to be anything but.
But can you imagine if someone actually created a MOVIE to introduce a cutting edge video game? I mean, wouldn't be incredible if someone wrote an entire script, cast some pretty relevant stars, and used the most recent means of production all for the purpose of revealing tomorrow's next phenomenon of the gaming world??
Sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn't it. Well, here's a newsflash... it's been done before.
Yep, you heard it right. For all of the young readers out there, 1989 was a HUGE year in gaming. The Nintendo Entertainment System was really taking off and new games were being developed constantly. But the Super Mario series had developed their third installment which was anticipated to become one of the most ground-breaking games of all time. Back in 1989, besides Nintendo Power Magazine, there was really no other means of advertisement for the upcoming game. There was no internet, only a fraction of the television channels that currently exist, and limited channels and air time for commercials that could plug the game. So, Nintendo decided to take a gamble on producing a big screen film to introduce it's newest game to North America. Hence, The Wizard was born.
With relevant stars like Fred Savage, Christian Slater, an Beau Bridges, the movie gained a lot of interest, especially since it flashed clips of the highly anticipated and newest installment of the Super Mario series during its commercials. The movie wasn't a huge success but gave enough momentum to Super Mario 3 that it became one of the greatest and top-selling video games of all time.
Do any of you think this could work in today's market? Can a movie become the main reveal for a video game? If so, would it be as successful as Super Mario 3? And has any advertisement for a video game ever compared to what Nintendo did for Super Mario 3?
In today's gaming world, YouTube, VGA's, magazines, the internet, and word-of-mouth is currently the most common ways to advertise the latest and greatest, in terms of new, cutting edge video games. Certainly, these are all effective methods and have been proven to be anything but.
But can you imagine if someone actually created a MOVIE to introduce a cutting edge video game? I mean, wouldn't be incredible if someone wrote an entire script, cast some pretty relevant stars, and used the most recent means of production all for the purpose of revealing tomorrow's next phenomenon of the gaming world??
Sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn't it. Well, here's a newsflash... it's been done before.
Yep, you heard it right. For all of the young readers out there, 1989 was a HUGE year in gaming. The Nintendo Entertainment System was really taking off and new games were being developed constantly. But the Super Mario series had developed their third installment which was anticipated to become one of the most ground-breaking games of all time. Back in 1989, besides Nintendo Power Magazine, there was really no other means of advertisement for the upcoming game. There was no internet, only a fraction of the television channels that currently exist, and limited channels and air time for commercials that could plug the game. So, Nintendo decided to take a gamble on producing a big screen film to introduce it's newest game to North America. Hence, The Wizard was born.
With relevant stars like Fred Savage, Christian Slater, an Beau Bridges, the movie gained a lot of interest, especially since it flashed clips of the highly anticipated and newest installment of the Super Mario series during its commercials. The movie wasn't a huge success but gave enough momentum to Super Mario 3 that it became one of the greatest and top-selling video games of all time.
Do any of you think this could work in today's market? Can a movie become the main reveal for a video game? If so, would it be as successful as Super Mario 3? And has any advertisement for a video game ever compared to what Nintendo did for Super Mario 3?