Video games indie vs majors

Component 2 Evolving Media
Section A: VIDEO GAMES
Media Industries & Media Audiences

What you will need to know
• You should be able to discuss the commercial context of
the set text from independently owned to it’s acquisition
by a ‘new media’ conglomerate (Microsoft.)
You should be able to discuss the extent to which the set
text is indicative of changes in media industries
• You should be able to discuss the target audience for the
set text and how it encourages audience participation.
• You should be able to discuss how technology is used to
distribute the game across a range of platforms.

Video Game Industry
Similar to the film industry
Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
Independent
cheap low
budget

Video Game Industry
Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
Independent
cheap low
budget
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion

Independent
cheap low
budget
Niche.
For players with expert
computing knowledge
No commercial backers
No advertising - word of
mouth between gamers

Independent
cheap low
budget
•2011 beta version > 1 million
purchases in 1 month.
•April 2011 est. US $33 million
revenue
•Nov 2011 Official release > 16
million users.
•4 million purchases..
•2012 Xbox 360 and XBoxLive.
•2013 Minecraft Pi – educational
and novice versions.

Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion
2015 30 million copies sold in total
To date > 121 million copies sold
Purchasable over internet via PlayStation
Network and Xbox Live
Cross media content = $$$ and
new customers reached

Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion
Dec 2015 Nintendo downloadable copies on sale
June 2016 Nintendo physical copies available
May 2017 Nintendo Switch version
Sept 2017 Nintendo 3DS downloadable
Minecraft Storymode (TellTale Games via Steam)

Microsoft smart phones
Xbox consoles
Digital versions of same game for different device
Windows 10 O/S
Download through Microsoft Cloud server
Microsoft Realms
PROMOTING MICROSOFT BRANDS

Mainstream Triple A versus independent (indie) companies
Lesson 3

Media Conglomerates
a company that owns large numbers of companies
in various mass media such as:
• Television
• Radio
• Publishing (magazines/newspapers)
• Film production
• Internet.
How many can you name?

Biggest Multimedia conglomerates

https://www.webpagefx.com/data/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media/

The main videogame institutions
Predominantly arcades
INDEPENDENTS

The Halo 4 campaign:
Triple A CASESTUDY
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in
this campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign
start?

Case Study: Halo 4
Microsoft promoted Halo 4. Their campaign won 'Outstanding
overall marketing campaign of the year 2013.'
Big-budget campaign for a TripleA blockbuster game.
First Person Shooter played only on Microsoft's X-box console.
Halo 4 is one of the biggest selling in the world.
It made over $300 million in its first week.
Over 1 million people played it in the first week.

Halo 4: the campaign
June 2011: the game is announced at E3, with a moving
image trailer: Awakening.
The trailer is short-listed for 'visual effects' awards,
generating more publicity.
The trailer is produced by Hollywood director David
Fincher (Fight Club, Benjamin Button, The Social
Network).

Halo 4: the campaign (1)
January 2012: various companies
announce production of Halo action figures and toys.
February 2012 onwards: header and
background ads are placed on popular
gamers' sites across the internet.

April 2012: A web-series, called 'Forward Unto Dawn' is
announced. There will be five 15 minute live-action short
films released in the weeks leading up to the launch of the
game. It is hosted on the dedicated Halo 4 website: Halo
Waypoint.

May 2012: an online game to piece together the box art is
announced. Watch the video on this page.
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/halo-4-art-reveal-campaign/
•September 2012: pre-order sales open on the Halo website
and other sites.

September 2012: point-of-sale display material is released to
shops, including the award-winning Halo countdown unit (can be
seen in the launch party video)

September - December 2012: tie-in with pepsi - buy Pepsi or
Mountain Dew for the chance to win a copy of the game and
other Halo items. There are also tie-ins with Pizza Hut and other
companies.

October 2012:
The official launch trailer 'Scanned' is premiered on a popular
American talk show.

October 2012: a week later the official gameplay trailer is
released.
October 31st 2012: the principality of Liechtenstein is
transformed into a Halo live action experience for fans
and members of the press. The castle is transformed into
a military fortification, they build a United Nations Space
Camp and there is a 2 hour live-action 'battle' at a
nearby quarry. The event generates a lot of press
coverage.

November 5th 2012: a fifty foot illuminated Didact sign
is flown down the River Thames. There is a lot of press
coverage of the
Publicity Stunt

POS Activity (Point of sale) – in store activities

November 5- 6th 2012: ten thousand shops in forty
different countries open for the midnight release of the
game. Fans queue. Shops hold launch parties.

November 2012: a smartphone scavenger hunt using
'tap it' or NFC technology runs in Australia.
Each billboard featured an NFC tag
and a QR Code, and competitors had to be
the first to scan each poster after 1pm on
Tuesday 6 November. Microsoft promoted
the scavenger hunt Facebook to more than
300,000 fans

November 6th 2012: the game is released world wide.
November 2012: The Art of Halo 4 (book) is released.

November 9th 2012: live TV adverts show how many
people are playing Halo at the time. Players sign up to a 'roll
call of honour' on Facebook for the chance to get their face
on TV.

December 2012: the free-to-enter Halo 4 'Infinity'
tournament opens.

December 2012: The first War Game Map Pack
(expansion pack) is released.
February 2013: the second Map Pack is released.
April 2013: the third
Map Pack is released

September 2013: 'Halo 4:
The Essential Visual Guide'
(book) published.

The Halo 4 campaign: review
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in this
campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign start?
4. When does the campaign ‘peak’?
5. What do you think were the best aspects of the
campaign?
6. Who would this campaign appeal to?

Case Study 2: Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment perfected the art of guerilla advertising
or stunt marketing in the 2000s.
They do one or two fairly low budget stunts or events, hoping
that the 'shock value' is enough for them to be reported on in
the mainstream press, and for news of the stunts to go viral on
the internet. This generates lots of free publicity for the
company and the game it is marketing.
The stunts are designed to appeal to the same demographic as
the audience for the game, so the publicity is strongest among
potential buyers.

Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Turok Evolution: Acclaim Entertainment offered $1000
to every person in the UK who would legally change their
name to Turok, and $10,000 to
new parents to name their baby Turok.
Over 300 people tried to claim the prize.

For Shadow Man 2: Acclaim offered to pay people
who had recently lost a relative to place adverts
on their headstones. They said it might be of
particular interest to poorer families. The
campaign was withdrawn in the interests of good
taste. But they already had the publicity.

For Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance: Acclaim said
they would use 'bloodvertising' with bus stop
posters that seeped a red blood-like substance,
leading up to release day. The campaign was
withdrawn in the interests of good taste. But they
already had the publicity.

For Burnout 2: Acclaim offered to
pay the speeding fines for all
speeding tickets issued on launch
day. They had to withdraw the offer
after complaints by the police that it
would encourage speeding.
But they already had the
publicity.

Case Study 3: Angry Birds
In 2003, three college-leavers in Finland started a small company
called Rovio.
They released an app called Angry Birds in 2009. It became a
huge hit.
The marketing has moved from low-budget to higher budget as
the game has become more successful and profitable.

Angry Birds
Initial marketing was cheap and low-key.
On release in each country, they promoted
the game through Gaming forums on the
internet, and through comments and reviews
in Gaming magazines.
They used a Twitter feed, set up a Facebook
page and used other social marketing to
communicate with fans and build a fan
community.

They set up a website with additional content.

Angry Birds
Rovio moved into merchandising (there is a whole website just
for T shirts; lunch-boxes, sweets, toys) very early, and this now
makes up over 30% of their income.
As the game became more widely known, Rovio used more
conventional techniques such as game trailers.
Rovio have also expanded the brand by licensing the game to a
theme park and a TV series (see the trailer here).

Angry Birds
In 2011 they partnered with 20th Century Fox to release a version
of the game called Angry Birds Rio, with characters from the film
Rio in it. These tie-ins generate good publicity for both companies:
an example of synergy. See the Angry Birds Rio trailer here.

Angry Birds
In 2012 the new game Angry Birds in Space was announced from
the International Space Station by a NASA astronaut doing physics
experiments
Their Space game trailer also
emphasises the physics content,
making the case for Angry Birds
to be seen as a worthwhile
educational game.

Video Game Industry
Multi million
budgets
Triple A
videogames
Independent
Low budgets

Independent
top 10 indie video games

Mainstream – Triple A videogames
• Tomb Raider
• Candy Crush
• Clash of Clans
• Halo
• GTA
• FIFA
• Fable
• Bioshock: Infinite
• World of Warcraft
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• COD
• Pokemon Go
• Titanfall
Top video games 2017

Advantages of being an independent
video game producer?
Advantages of being owned by a Multi
media conglomerate?

Independent versus Triple A mainstream
Key Features of Independent Video Games
• Rarely multi platform
• Commonly created and developed without a publisher (no publisher limitations)
• Often developed by small teams with a focus on one game
• Reliance on digital distribution
• Innovative funding models e.g. crowd funding
• Emphasis on creativity and innovation
• Older male demographic
• Narrative content can be risqué – higher PEGI ratings
• Low production values
• Social networking and convergence important in marketing – Web 2.0
• Self-publishing in early stages

Key features of Mainstream Video Games
• Developer/Publisher model
• Mass target audience
• Often multi platform including consoles
• High production values
• Significant above the line marketing e.g. trailers but also rich viral marketing
• Synergy with other media forms e.g. films, consoles and magazines
• Safe genres
• Often part of a franchise
• Multiple designers, often years in development
Independent versus Triple A mainstream

Are these independent video game developers or multi-media conglomerates?

Why do many independent videogame
producers choose to seek financial
backing or ownership from large multi-
media conglomerates?
Use examples you have studied to
support your answer.
HOMEWORK
Exam practice

Options for Indie video game developers with no
financial backing
http://estream.reigate.ac.uk/View.aspx?id=13030~54~KHlxsdkPIr

How are video
games
traditionally
marketed and what
franchising takes
place?
Small group activity

MINECRAFT PROMOTION
• Research as many different forms of
promotion, marketing, franchising used
across a variety of media formats. (Images in
a ppt)
• How are they effective in raising awareness,
popularity and revenue?
• Why do developers and publishers use so
many varied media formats?

Official website
https://minecraft.net/en-us/

Without the commercial backing of a mainstream publisher, and no money spent on advertising revenue, due to
the independent nature of Mojang, the game relied on word of mouth between gamers and featured on sites such
as the Penny Arcade web comic to generate interest amongst gamers.
https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic

The cultural impact of Minecraft is
significant. We know that much of
Minecraft’s success was due to word of
mouth but also audiences sharing
their own mods and game footage
across web forums and video sharing
sites such as YouTube.
Find out what a Minecraft Mod is
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Mods
www.youtube.com

Different versions of Minecraft were
released, moving away from
creation only narratives to include
story modes, spectator modes,
educational mode and multi-player
functionality across Minecraft
Realms. Also, now that Persson no
longer has a stake in the company
plans to work on a virtual reality
version of Minecraft have been
renewed.
Why do this?

Intertextuality
Culturally, other
developers and games
studios have made
intertextual references to
Minecraft across games
such as Runescape and
The Elder Scrolls V:
Skyrim to name but a
few; there are also Lady
Gaga, South Park and The
Simpsons parodies. All of
this benefits the game by
heightening its exposure
to audiences.

The Minecraft Franchise
A Lego set based on Minecraft
called Lego Minecraft was
released on 6 June 2012
Two more sets based on the
Nether and village areas of the
game were released on 1
September 2013. A fourth Micro
World set, the End, was released
in June 2014. Six more sets
became available November
2014.

The
Minecraft
Franchise
Mojang collaborates
with Jinx, an online
game merchandise
store, to sell Minecraft
merchandise, such as
clothing, foam
pickaxes, and toys of
creatures in the game.

The
Minecraft
Franchise
In March 2013 Mojang
signed a deal with the
Egmont Group, a
children's book
publisher, to create
Minecraft handbooks,
annuals, poster books,
and magazines

Minecraft in education
https://education.minecraft.net/class-resources/lessons/

Minecraft in education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6f-2Wlsxg

Minecraft the Movie
In 2019 there will be a joint
venture with Warner Brothers to
release Minecraft the movie, this
will be anticipated as having as
much commercial success as The
Lego Movie, also a Warner
Brothers Movie. No doubt, there
will be several spin-offs as a result
of this.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3566
834/

Fan trailers
How does this help the promotion of Minecraft?

Minecraft YouTubers/Gameplayers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2P0Sed7Slo
Explore some Minecraft gameplays - How many views do they have? What kind of
comments are being left? How can convergent media promote the sharing these
and what impact can this have?

Minecon
MINECON is a convention for the video
game Minecraft, hosted by Mojang.
The first gathering in 2010 was known
as MinecraftCon
Mojang announced that MINECON was
taking the form of an interactive 90-
minute livestream on 18 November
2017. It was titled MINECON Earth.
https://minecraft.net/en-us/minecon/

Block by Block
UN and Mojang
September 2012
A charity project to create and design
real-world environments
in Minecraft.
The reconstruct of areas of concern
by young citizens who are invited to
enter the Minecraft servers and
modify their own neighbourhood.
By 2016, 300 of the areas UN-Habitat
plans to remodel will be recreated
in Minecraft

Henry Jenkins - Fandom &
Participatory culture
Video games offer social experiences
(online multi-player options) as well as
communities outside of the core game
experience.
Jenkins’ key quote ‘if it doesn’t spread, it’s
dead’
There has “been a blurring between the
grassroots practices I call participatory culture
and the commercial practices being called Web
2.0.” - Fandom being used as marketing.
Minecraft has a strong, well developed
fanbase how could we relate this to
Jenkins’ ideas about participatory
culture?
Participatory culture. Term developed by Henry
Jenkins to describe contemporary cultures
where members of a society do not only
consume media content but also create and
distribute it.
Fandom. An intense emotional investment in a
media text whereby you engage with other ‘fans’.
Regarded collectively as a community or
subculture.
Stretch and challenge

Terminology
• Video Games Terminology
• Platforms – physical devices on which video games are played and marketed e.g. MAC OSX, PS4, Xbox, Windows, Android,
Online Platforms, Apps
• Oligopoly – the main global institutions that commercially dominate the industry e.g. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Activision
Blizzard, EA, Square Enix
• Publishers – both independent and mainstream they are responsible for the manufacture and marketing of a video game –
the primary source of funding. Like a film will often have a production company and a distributor, a mainstream video game
will have a developer and a publisher
• Developer – they are responsible for the software development and production of a video game often including its
origination and creation. Independent video game developers are frequently self-funded while mainstream developers will
have financial and marketing support from a publisher
• Designer – designers normally work for the developer and are concerned with the content, rules, environment, storyline and
characters in a video game. Mainstream video games like COD or GTA can typically have anything up to 200 designers
working on a next project. Designers can come from an IT background and understand programming or from a creative
background or both
• Engine – a system designed for the creation and development of a video game by providing an audio-visual software
framework. Unreal Engine is a well-known game engine.
• Distribution – this is different to film in that distribution is how the video game is made available to audiences e.g. via
download. Steam is a digital distribution platform
• Triple A Games – high production value games that have a significant amount of money spent on marketing (the equivalent
of a mainstream blockbuster film)

Video games indie vs majors

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