When it hits final? Just by word of mouth through current players? Or will they just release it on Steam and let it go from there.
How do they plan to market this game?
- Thread starter Don_Von_Hulio
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Neither of the above?
I don't think there has been much in the way of specific information on this, but as far as I know there isn't going to be a Steam release - FD already have their own launcher/patching system and store front so Steam seems like a waste of time now.
Given the amount of nostalgia for Elite amongst old people, maybe they'll offer a copy of the game to pensioners in lieu of the winter fuel allowance at the end of this year...
Toad.
Had hoped our collective minds would create enough energy to subliminally conjure up a wave, broadly seeding a glowing appreciation for the game, through the usual meta-behavior-sub-channels nobody understands completely, but drives all of us to make use of the same square doors, and log into Facebook.
But it seems to mostly affect old men with a lot of gadgetry available, for some reason or other. No offense to any old women out there. Or young men. Or young women. Or anything else not covered here. Like potted plants.
But it seems to mostly affect old men with a lot of gadgetry available, for some reason or other. No offense to any old women out there. Or young men. Or young women. Or anything else not covered here. Like potted plants.
DB has shown many times his appreciation of the minecraft (and very similar) model. so expect it to be wom-marketing, driven already by little smart moves such as the NO-NDA allowing for 000's of you tube videos. planting seeds with people like scott manley or jingles.
the 2013 annual report says "We expect Elite: Dangerous revenues to grow gradually in a similar way to other PC online games (referencing again MC / WOT sales of 100mio units), but also that it will hit a quality resonance at which point revenues would increase significantly, as it did for those other titles."
do NOT expect any significant classic advertising, expect some well placed PR with key publishers/opinion leaders, expect a HUGE 30 year ELITE anniversary party with key global media following (BBC for one ^^ )
the rest will happen as it will happen.
NO steam, as the proposed FDEV business model includes their own distribution platform (already alive), to be used as mulit publisher/multi platform service for (i guess) mainly indie games. that pretty much kills any steam relationship...
Magazines specializing in the video games, the videos on the internet, the interwiew in some television shows, the campaign of e-mailing, the physical sales in shops. All this to international level. Perhaps also, jettisoning of millions of leaflets above the medium and the large urbanized areas, by a flotilla of Sidewinder ?
Perhaps SC might actually be good for marketing Elite.
There are quite a few Americans on these boards, so I might be wrong, but it seems to me that Elite never gained that much traction outside of Europe and the Commonwealth. I wonder if being so closely linked to a rival with more heritage in other territories, could actually help Elite's exposure, with a few Citizens giving it a go.
Just pleased one of my favourite genres is back, though having tried the single player build yesterday, I definitely need some practice!
There are quite a few Americans on these boards, so I might be wrong, but it seems to me that Elite never gained that much traction outside of Europe and the Commonwealth. I wonder if being so closely linked to a rival with more heritage in other territories, could actually help Elite's exposure, with a few Citizens giving it a go.
Just pleased one of my favourite genres is back, though having tried the single player build yesterday, I definitely need some practice!
Great games market themselves really, get the absolute basics right and build on it over time, which is I think the way they intend to go.
Eventually the game creeps into the wider consciousness of the gaming masses and reaches a tipping point (mincecraft).
Big bang releases are expensive and too easy to get wrong. Pointless releasing most games that way anyway, as we all know they really never stop evolving (well, mostly). Creating massive hype with marketing is more applicable to AAA titles with hundreds of millions invested in them. They have to make a lot of revenue very very quickly from an increasingly fickle consumer.
Eventually the game creeps into the wider consciousness of the gaming masses and reaches a tipping point (mincecraft).
Big bang releases are expensive and too easy to get wrong. Pointless releasing most games that way anyway, as we all know they really never stop evolving (well, mostly). Creating massive hype with marketing is more applicable to AAA titles with hundreds of millions invested in them. They have to make a lot of revenue very very quickly from an increasingly fickle consumer.
Personally I think they are making big mistakes in terms of marketing and public relations. Waiting until the game is released is an error. They should work on these things:
- Improved website with more bling (compare Star Citizen Website!) maybe WebGL ship viewer and ship / equipment specs.
- Release much more "sneek peeks" and screenshots of SHIPS with specs and detailed renderings (25 to be included = 2 ship sneek peeks per month!)
- Better screenshot capabilities (wom and viral marketing DEPEND on user generated content, that means 3rd person screenshots, viewing own ship in combat, screenshots and videos without cockpit)
- Community features (guilds / corporations, lots of guild signups with SC)
We can only guess
At this moment FD resorts to game shows and communicating with gaming media, providing press releases and demos to test. This is step up from previously "we are just testing alpha, dude" attitude, and is very ok for alpha phase.
What premium beta brings? I don't know. As it will feature more complete game, at one point FD will do tours around the world with demoing game in summer for sure.
I think FD primary sees this as for legacy marketing - for people who already know Elite and have waited for years for fourth installment. However we will see some efforts to get wider player base informed about the game, especially in US, where it's still mostly unknown at this point.
Kettle
K
Publisher are bad for gaming business. Take a good look at EA, Sony, Ubisoft etc, and all the countless developers. Mr Braben knows too well.
They are too fat and only think of greeds.
They are too fat and only think of greeds.
Who you calling old
Kettle
K
And at the risk of yet another SC thread, did you see the live stream last night? Technical issues aside the difference between SC fans and ED fans and marketing is very obvious when you watch something like that. That's marketing for you right there ;-)
In comparison..remember when Alpha 3 launched at the Baftas and all we got back for about a day was the mobile phone footage from the one person that remembered to actually try and film the docking sequence but he had to cut the video short because his arm got a bit tired - bless
All those things are fine. What really gets my goat is the needless slaughter of Tribbles!
Free the Tribbles Braben!
Toad.