Video Games

Marketing Communications – Strategy
The buzz in the company about a game in development is all positive but there are still some key questions – where is the core and peripheral market for the game and what’s the best way to tell them about it?

Whether you’re building up a new brand or revising a long-standing favourite, Some Research can help you plan your marketing strategy as we did for one of our clients when they approached us with a new release for a long-running and much-loved brand.  The client knew the core group of gamers would quickly snap up the new release, but wanted to see if an extended market could be a viable option and how best to reach them.

Our team of experienced researchers were able to tell them that it would be possible – but communications would need to dispel some entrenched negative brand associations and emphasise a new key set of motivators to purchase.  With a clear set of recommendations, our client was able to make informed decisions and grow the market for the game.

Marketing communications – Execution
Sure, you’ve got a great game on your hands…but are you sure whether your communication assets are working as hard as they should be?

A client with a triple-A action/adventure game wanted to know just that.  Previous titles in the franchise were well received, but gamers expected the new game to go to the next level - a killer TV ad and web trailers would be the drivers to purchase.  Packaging and taglines also needed to be fine-tuned to grab attention and stand out from the competition.

Some Research tested the materials for the trailer, packaging and taglines on four focus groups of eight gamers to find out exactly what they felt, thought and understood about the communication assets.

We went on to provide detailed analysis assessing the impact, comprehension, communication, empathy/effect, distinctiveness, and credibility of the communications material and provided clear, actionable recommendations for our client to implement.

Gameplay testing
Integrating movement controllers into a gameplay experience which is polished, innovative and easy to master is the developer’s aim…but what will happen when real gamers get to try it out for themselves?

One client with a long history in the industry came to Some Research to find out. 

We got six groups of gamers to playtest a key part of the game, while the team from publisher and developer looked on. Then we asked the gamers to tell us the strengths and weaknesses of the gameplay, control system difficulties, and feedback on the characters.  It was an eye-opening experience for the developers present at the groups!

With the analysis provided by Some Research, our client gained not only insights into play habits of their gamers, but also some clear recommendations on how to improve gamer enjoyment with the crucial first interaction with the game – not to mention some pointers on the hooks to market the game when it was complete.

Brand maintenance
Some Research does more than gameplay and product marketing testing.  We can also help you find out how to maintain top-of-mind awareness for your brand as we did for a client who contacted us when they suspected their e-newsletters were not as effective as they hoped they would be. 

Some Research discovered not only the gamers’ email and newsletter reading habits but also what the current newsletter told them about the brand, the content they found most important, how it should be laid out, how often they should receive it, what would make them open the newsletter, and even how they should be addressed.

The detailed report we provided gave clear, actionable recommendations and helped our client rework their newsletter to make it more in line with what key audiences expected.

Sequel development
The success of a new IP title is rewarding in itself.  So why not try to take the sequel to the next level?

One of our clients approached us with a project to undertake a complete audit of the original game through the eyes of gamers who had bought and played it.  They needed to know where the current game fitted on the market map, what were the stand out features, where were the frustrations, and what features should be included in a sequel to make a good game even better.

With the recommendations Some Research provided on character development, gameplay, villains and plot, our client was able to develop a smash hit sequel that received unprecedented top scores on Metacritic.

Gamification
Think gaming is just for the video games companies?  Think again.  A variety of organisations large and small are turning to gamification to increase consumer interaction with their brand.  Applying the principles of game design to an ordinarily non-game application can help you engage with consumers, influence behaviour, and motivate action.

Have an idea for gamifying your brand but not sure how your consumers will react?  Tell us about it, and let us find out for you.