LEGO Universe Pre-Launch Press Bonanza: If you build it, they will come…

LEGO Universe launched last Friday for a special fans-only release period, and boy has the PR team been busy! Over the summer and into fall, we’ve been across the country and back again with the LEGO Universe developers – and that’s not even counting pre-E3 and international happenings. From E3 in Los Angeles, Comic-Con in San Diego and PAX in Seattle, to press meetings in New York and family media day in Colorado, LEGO Universe has amazed and inspired everyone who sees it.

The LEGO Group (creative brick-building toy icon) teamed up with NetDevil (supernaturally talented development team), and collaborated with some of the most imaginative and passionate fans in the world (LEGO Universe Partners, or LUPS for short)… It’s taken 5 years to get here, and the real works just begun, but together this LEGO trifecta has created one helluva MMOG.

TriplePoint couldn’t be more thrilled (or proud) to work with the brightest minds in toys and technology, and finally help launch LEGO Universe this month. It’s been a while since we shared media feedback, so today is a double whammy – first, here are highlights from recent press events and releases. Then check out part two this afternoon, for the latest previews, reviews and such. You can find more LEGO Universe coverage from E3 and earlier in the archives. Continue reading LEGO Universe Pre-Launch Press Bonanza: If you build it, they will come…

PR 101 for Indie Game Developers – Now with Video!

I had the opportunity to give an updated version of my ‘PR for iPhone Games‘ talk to the New York Gaming Meetup on Tuesday. Focusing on indie development publicity for multiple platforms, the presentation walks viewers through the What, Why and How of doing PR – whether budgets are shoestring and you’re running the show yourself, or whether you seek outside help from a company like TriplePoint.

We took a video of the talk – view it below! View it in HD and full-screen if you’d like to have a look at the the slides from the updated presentation.

Chris Heintz, TriplePoint, PR 101 For Indie Game Developers from Ed Zitron on Vimeo.

View the notes-oriented version of the presentation on SlideShare below:

Continue reading PR 101 for Indie Game Developers – Now with Video!

Social Game Distractions: PR Advice for a Generation Constantly at Play

It’s soapbox time again over at the ‘Goose – enjoy (and add your 2 cents in the comments below)!

Know why I prefer writing on the weekends? Because all the noise dies down around me – our unrelenting 24/7 news cycle doesn’t stop, but it slows down long enough for a person to clear their head…. During the week, we’re lucky to have time to think about how all the news “pieces” of the day fit into the bigger puzzle – not just in the tech & gaming industry, but anywhere.

Everyday we’re bombarded with new games, new features, new partnerships, milestones and announcements of all shapes and sizes. I’m speaking from experience in 3 crucial game industry roles: PR (public relations), journalist (news editor), and most important for the advice that follows, gaming/tech consumer.

You may be wondering… what makes consumer experience most important when you’re handing out PR advice? Everything. For example, the “corporate stuff” does not matter at all to 95% of consumers. Most people could care less about *who* develops, publishes, promotes or profits from a game, as long as it’s fun, and it’s a good value for their time and money. If you lose sight of that – from any business level, you’ve got an unenviable, uphill battle ahead. That’s not to say corporate announcements don’t have their place, so long as you’re telling consumers what it means for them in the end.

Anyway, speaking of fun –

Back to reasons I like writing on the weekend. It’s easier to pick out the cool, fun, unique stuff (from the weekly news noise) when you’re actually *playing* games and doing things IRL (in real life) that you *enjoy*. The distracting, buzzing news machine is all but silent when you are doing (or writing) something because you want to.

I haven’t logged into FarmVille or Cafe World in weeks. I’ve been busy this summer, traveling too much for any successful harvest schedule. I have been social gaming though – here’s some of what I *have* played lately: Rock Band, The Gig, Wii Sports, LEGO Universe, foursquare, Words with Friends, Bejeweled Blitz, HexaLex, DizzyPad, Pure Hidden, Spot the Difference, Poker, Tennis, Mini-Golf, Bowling, Bean Bag Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, Beer Pong, Name That Tune – well, you get the idea ;) And I’m not alone –

Social and casual games are fighting for the time, attention and money of a generation constantly at play. Everywhere we turn there’s a game-like distraction to pass the time (or sell us something). Why pay when we can get great game experience for free? I imagine that’s a developer’s eternal conundrum, but that’s another topic, another post…

For journalists, it’s getting harder and harder to report anything new in Facebook gaming. I’m tired of pretending to care about new virtual goods. When did microtransactions become the end-all be-all for social games? I realize the freemium model can be somewhat limiting for innovative revenue options, but all these collectibles, gifts, power-ups and digital doo-dads are starting to feel like deja vu all over again.

Ditching the distractions

Pro tips are always common sense once you’ve heard them, so try this on for size: If your pitch is newsworthy, it will write itself. If you are just sending an announcement to try and drum up news or sales during development downtime, you’ll find yourself stretching for a “hook”, and you won’t fool anyone. I’m not being cynical, jaded or bitter, and I know the rest of the world (and industry) is still spinning when you aren’t, but just be patient. Wait for the *right* times and get the *right* stories out there – don’t make your game/name another distraction – make it a hot topic. The biggest news, best promotions, most important business moves, and most unique pitches/campaigns are the easiest and most fulfilling to pull off. More importantly, they generate the best impact and results. In other words, BE news to make news.

(duh)

Here in the social gaming news space, so far, we’ve been pretty darn open to distractions. Everything from new in-game items and UI tweaks, to free gifts and fan bonuses, gets plenty of play in all social game blogrolls (including the ‘Goose)… But as more games come to market, Facebook users are slowing spreading out across a multitude of titles.

Too big for their britches?

If your game isn’t in the top 25 leaderboards (aka, has 7+ million MAUs), or growing like a weed in in the top gainers category, you’ll be hardpressed to get coverage on your new line of virtual goods. (#justbeinghonest) Unless, of course, you’ve partnered with X top brand (a la Zynga – 7/11), will support a well-known charity by donating some significant portion of virtual good sales, or are giving away large sums of cash in an exciting contest, tournament or event… But that all goes back to *being* news to *make* news, in the end.

Even still, the top 25 developers and other social game superstars are starting to find less bang for their buck *because* the increasingly diversified industry has become too big and too busy. It’s simply not possible to cover every individual update, even top titles are becoming a newsfeed distraction for straying users. On the bright side, this diversifying market should eventually yield more loyal players, who play more often and don’t need/want a barrage of third-party news. These loyal fans already know about new items, and want to hear something new – something more. They want to be heard, be connected, be a part – not just the end-user. Give players major real world news that brings them back to your game – they want culture and they want it now!

Your turn – Where do you draw the line between social and casual gaming, and how do you intend to drown out the distractions?

LEGO Universe and HexaLex are TriplePoint clients. This article was originally published on Frisky Mongoose.

Clap Twice for Pizza: Gesture Recognition Makes this Dream a Reality

It’s no secret that, when it comes to home entertainment, we’re in the midst of a distribution revolution. Content once tied to broadcast airwaves is now being ravenously consumed on the internet via computers, video game consoles and set top devices.

TriplePoint has the privilege of working with some of these new media startups. PlayOn (which recently made the jump to iPhone; CNET link) streams Hulu and other web video onto PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, without the need for a costly Hulu+ account. For those without a video game console, Softkinetic is providing a Microsoft Kinect-like experience to a massive install base via their set top box gesture recognition system.

With two cameras and a powerful microphone, Kinect knows who’s in front of the TV. For games like Dance Central, the technology will track all the poppin’ and lockin’ you can throw at it. But as an entertainment hub, a Kinect-enabled Xbox 360 will change the way that marketers convey their messages. Advertising is the backbone of media, providing the funding for programming and keeping content free for the viewer.

Softkinetic and Microsoft face a major challenge with these user-recognizing innovations. The product must find the right combination of allure, cost and ease-of-use, or at least hit two sides of this triangle. Kinect is rumored to cost $150, putting it well above the $99 impulse-buy sweet spot and closer to the price of a new game console. Softkinetic, on the other hand, will have less features but will also enjoy wider adoption, since the system will piggyback onto cable boxes and not require additional equipment.

As these devices become a fixture of the entertainment centers in dens and rec rooms around the world, ultra-targeted advertising will be commonplace. In order to frame this in a positive light, marketers will highlight the family-friendly aspects of these targeted ad systems.  For instance, “No R-rated movie previews if children are detected,” or, similarly “no beer commercials until the registered account holder turns 21.”  Of course, there are many aspects of these targeted ads that appeal to advertisers, too.  For instance, gender-specific commercials can now be tied to the actual gender of the viewers, rather than the network making educated guesses about the viewing audience based on the channel, program and time of day

Interactive ads are not far behind. Many of today’s preroll web video ads ask if you’d prefer to interrupt your show with 3 traditional thirty-second commercials, or watch a 90 second long-form ad before the show begins.  By giving the viewer a choice, marketers engage the audience and have a better change of holding their attention.

With mics and 3D cameras in place, these ads will evolve into mini-games – how many on-screen Pepsi bubbles can you “pop” by waving your hands, before the time runs out? Sponsored gameshow-style quizzes are also possible, since the systems can detect multiple voices in the room. First one to finish this jingle gets 10 points on their gamerscore!  “Plop plop, fizz fizz…”

Social media integration is already built into modern game consoles.  In the future, before the new Top Chef episode streams, you’ll be prompted to invite other online friends who ‘like’ that show on Facebook to join you and watch together, virtually.

During the show, ads will feature music by artists from your Last.fm account that you’ve “favorited.” Local advertisements will pinpoint your self-identified exact location and give you offers that are relevant to your tastes.  For instance, the Italian restaurant below your apartment is offering double-pepperoni for the price of cheese, and they’ll be open for another 45 minutes.  Since your credit card is on file with your Xbox Live or PSN account, you can literally say the word and have hot pizza at your door before Padma calls the chef’testants to the judge’s table. Are you watching solo, or did you invite the whole gang over? Accordingly, you’ll get promotions ranging from personal-pan pizza to the ultra-jumbo feast.

There’s a great deal riding on the success of these gesture- and user- recognition systems.  Their main strength is in eliminating the “input middleman,” giving users greater control over their own entertainment. They also give marketers new ways to reach consumers. While this new technology is exciting on many levels, it will also present unseen obstacles and take years before adoption is truly mainstream. Only time will tell if the universal remote can survive this Minority Report future.

PR 101 for iPhone Game Developers

TriplePoint has the unique opportunity to work with some of the best iPhone (and now iPad!) game developers out there. We’ve helped achieve success for a growing list of games – everything from classics like geoDefense and Real Racing to today’s number one paid app in the US App Store, ZombieSmash!

As a result, we receive a steady stream of inquiries from aspiring developers hoping to get our help launching their next great game. The companies coming to us for assistance are in all sorts of different market positions – one-man teams and expansive ones, microscopic budgets and gigantic ones. We’re ecstatic whenever we have the chance to serve a company with a great product and a great vision – but we do everything we can to help direct fledgling companies that may not have the budget to engage with a PR firm.

I gave a talk last week at 360|iDev (a great conference for iPhone app dev community) called “PR 101 for iPhone Game Developers.” I thought it’d be great to give a broad overview of what exactly this “PR” business is all about, and why it’s important to consider your PR approach well in advance of setting your shiny new iPhone game loose in the wild. It addresses a few big questions iPhone devs might have – what’s PR, why should I do it, and how can I do it (and how much does it cost)?

Here’s the deck – it’s a bit lighthearted, but I hope it’s insightful for anyone in this space who’s considering their marketing options:

VVVVVV and the Power of PR for Indie Games

It’s only the second week of January, and 2010 is already shaping up to be another incredibly strong year for independent game development. Derek Yu’s freeware colossus, Spelunky, and past IGF Grand Prize winner Darwinia are both coming to XBLA. Newgrounds sensation Meat Boy is headed to WiiWare, as is indie classic Cave Story. Many of the recently announced finalists in the 12th annual Independent Games Festival look poised to take the gaming masses by storm, if they haven’t already, and you can bet there will be plenty of talk about them as GDC approaches. Despite all the buzz surrounding the IGF and these heavyweight indie titles, some clever PR outreach by Terry Cavanaugh has ensured that his cruelly entertaining puzzle-platformer “VVVVVV” is the first big independent game of 2010.

Over the last week or so, talk of VVVVVV has been popping up everywhere, from EDGE (who gave the game an impressive 8/10) and BoingBoing to Destructoid and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Some people might chalk that up to word-of-mouth and the fact that VVVVVV is a great game, but the true culprit is Terry himself. He’s kept his fans up to date and provided behind-the-scenes details with a regularly updated blog, taken his game on the road to big events, done interviews with the right outlets, and weathered bad news honestly and gracefully.

Even more importantly, his well-planned preparations for VVVVVV’s launch, including an incentivized preorder campaign, have caused a plethora of stories about VVVVVV to hit the web in an incredibly short period of time. Buzz can be built up in a wide variety of ways, but one of the best things you can do to get people interested is make sure they see your game mentioned so many times they can’t NOT look it up.

At the end of the day, VVVVVV’s success does, truthfully, hinge on the high quality of the title. If the game wasn’t fun to play, we wouldn’t be hearing about it. That being said, the simple PR tactics Terry used to get his game out there and get people talking are what may take it from being a good indie title to a top game of 2010.

Whether you’ve got a team of 250 people making a million-dollar title or you’re a one-man studio with almost no budget, spending some time (and sometimes a little money) on public relations can ultimately be the difference between a good game and a great one. VVVVVV, the first great indie game of 2010, is living proof. Do yourself a favor and give it a try!

LEGO Universe Demo Debut Reactions

Last week we conducted the very first preview press demos for LEGO Universe at the TriplePoint offices in San Francisco. Journalists were invited to check out the game, snag some new screenshots, talk with the development team, and get answers to all their LEGO MMO questions.

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Ryan Seabury, the game’s Creative Director from NetDevil was on hand with an in-depth gameplay demo – the first peek for journalists into myriad challenges and worlds awaiting players when LEGO Universe releases next year.

Continue reading LEGO Universe Demo Debut Reactions

iPhone Game PR – A Case Study

IGN Real Racing

Australian mobile developer Firemint came to us a few months ago with one goal in mind: to make their new iPhone game stand out among the crowd. Of course, this is no small task given the extraordinary rate of proliferation of iPhone games appearing on the App Store since the beginning of the year. But Firemint had something unique: a car racing simulator called Real Racing that had been in development for more than a year and specifically designed with the unique feature set of the iPhone and iPod touch in mind.

Firemint’s unique challenge was that they had a little over two months to officially announce, promote, and differentiate Real Racing from the competition before it launched. And the main competitor in this instance was EA’s Need for Speed iPhone title, a game launching in the same period that had enjoyed months of marketing and PR support from the industry’s biggest game publisher.

Talk about an underdog situation.

Continue reading iPhone Game PR – A Case Study