Did Sony do justice to Killzone 2’s marketing campaign?
Killzone 2 has been an unknown quality in the eyes of many game critics in the past. However, with just a little over a week out on the market, the game is now considered to be without a doubt a megaton AAA title. The developers have done their job of proving themselves to the world that they can make an A-list game. However, the topic that seems to keep coming back is the nagging question if Sony is doing all it can to promote Killzone 2 properly?
Fellow Blorge writer, Dave raised an interesting question when he asked if Killzone 2 was as important to the PS3 as Halo 3 was for Xbox 360. I believe that Sony does need an iconic game for the hardcore fans on the PS3 this generation. Last gen games such as God of War served that purpose. As far as selling consoles, since Halo 3 did not move any Xbox 360s, I find it hard to believe that Killzone 2 will move consoles as well.
Hardcore gamers are usually the ones who buy the consoles first and end up buying all the great games no matter what. The only game that really moved consoles was Metal Gear Solid 4 and even that was pretty predictable considering the popularity of the series on the PS2. To answer the original question, I believe Killzone 2 is extremely important for Sony and the PS3. It is Sony’s opportunity to stamp the image of the notorious Helghast mask into the minds of gamers everywhere.
However, it just seems like Sony is handling the launch of Killzone 2 like any other game release. I have been going back and forth in regards to how Sony is marketing Killzone 2. Originally I criticized Sony for not stepping up and pushing the title then later recanted after Steinberg’s announcement about the planned marketing campaign. However, it has been over a week since the launch of Killzone 2 and there is only one ad running that barely shows the end user experience.
I truly believe Scott Steinberg and his marketing team wants to market their brains out of Killzone 2. The bottleneck is probably closer to the top with executives weary of approving massive funds to market just one game. If there is one thing Sony could learn from Microsoft is the companies marketing strategy. Sony could also learn a thing or two from the true marketing brains of our generation – Apple, which even Microsoft is struggling against.
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33 Responses to “Did Sony do justice to Killzone 2’s marketing campaign?”
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March 8th, 2009
out here in Aus, i think i remember almost seeing one or two a night? i hadnn’t seen that much since GTA4… though that being said, im seeing RE5 litrally everywhere, though its being followed by a limited addition red 360
March 8th, 2009
word of mouth was what sony was relying on and the demo i guess but internet gave the game tons of hype hopefully it will pay off but gow3 will be the system seller omg can’t wait
March 9th, 2009
off topic, but how often do people change tv’s with there systems?
like i have 3 different tv’s i could be playing on depending on whos home and which game im playing, though only 2 of them are HD tv’s… does anyone else find it annoying where it will automaticly pick up if you have a hdmi cable in the back of it but if you take it out and move it to another tv it doesn’t pick up on the change and you have to drag it back from the tv you got it from and manuel change it from hdmi to AV output?
March 9th, 2009
What brand TV do you have there, Mick?
March 9th, 2009
ahhh Aussies TV… is Rove Live still on?? I remember the old days when he came up with “WHAT THE”.. that was funny as hell…
March 9th, 2009
“Did Sony do justice to Killzone 2’s marketing campaign?”
What’s a Killzone two?
Didnt Sony marketing get the axe in the recent round of job cuts?
March 9th, 2009
well, in the family room theres a standard def (like old school rear projection normal tv) LG 80cm, in the living room theres a samsung HD plasma (doesn’t go to 1080, just 720) and in my room i got a full HD LCD sony (goes to 1080). just annoying cause i use the LCD screen as a 2nd screen for my comp and don’t always have the playstation in here (yes, i have a 40incher for a 2nd screen) and its not the best to play multiplayer in my room the way i have it set up, and when out on the plasma, when dad wants to watch something i have to move as well… just hoping there would be some sort of auto detec when going back from HDMI to normal, like shouldnt it be able to understand when the HDMI cable is unplugged?
it also doesn’t let me go from one HDMI tv to another without first going back to AV, so even going into my room takes 5 minutes of fucking around, its about the only problem i have with the PS3, i never had the problem with the 360, but thats cause i never ran it any better then the normal AV cables
March 9th, 2009
I haven’t seen any marketing for KZ2 here in the states. I did notice that as I walked through the mall a few weekends ago, every video game store had Street Fighter IV advertisements plastered over every bit of free space, but not a single KillZone 2 related advertisement to be found.
March 9th, 2009
bigmickyd
Blame the stupid ‘DRM’ (digital rights management) involved.
Those on the security gravy-train devised HDMI to be about as user-unfriendly as possible.
There’s no auto-switching (unless – if you are lucky – you have same brand kit throughout and their proprietary stuff does actually manage to work properly together) and as you can see precious little auto sensing.
‘Handshake’ issues are common and widespread (see almost any a/v forum, they’re full of this stuff) where you have to muck about switching things on in a particular order so that they ‘talk’ to each other & work properly.
It’s a bit of a pain.
KZ2 advertising?
I’ve seen some, but I can honestly say it was nothing especially remarkable, just another video shooter game advertised on the telly.
My Mrs was the one who surprised me, she noticed it and said to me how it looked like just another young lad’s toy
(she’s no fan of that genre of game).
March 9th, 2009
bigmickyd
Just hold the power button for a couple of seconds when the ps3 is booting up. It’ll reset the video so that you can view it and make necessary changes.
March 9th, 2009
Sony’s Marketing campaign didn’t seem to get spooling until the release date, but since then, I see 5-10 spots a night (even more if the wife and I are FF commercials on the PVR)
March 9th, 2009
i saw about 3 ads on tv in the states
March 9th, 2009
I fast forward most commercials and rarely watch TV live (unless it’s sports). I don’t recall seeing the Killzone 2 commercial too often. I definitely seen in more than once. I’ve seen lost and the damned and the Halo wars commercial more however.
March 9th, 2009
I’ve seen a few ads on tv, maybe 2-3 times per week. Always the same one tho, with the bullet flying thru the air.
March 9th, 2009
“the game is now considered to be without a doubt a megaton AAA title”
What does that make Gears 2 as it was scored higher across the board???
“As far as selling consoles, since Halo 3 did not move any Xbox 360s”
Sorry to pick holes here mike but that is fucking nonsense! I know loads of people who bought the 360 for halo……and gears for that matter.
March 9th, 2009
I actually saw an ad for it during Underbelly last night. It was a freeze frame of a soldier type person and the camera rotating around him. I couldn’t help but notice how jumpy the display was. If the ad was meant to push the graphics as the main selling point, then it failed miserably. The in-game graphics and frame rate are much better than what this ad was showing. Sony really need to do something about their marketing folks.
March 9th, 2009
Bigmickyd
That is because the 360 will automatically detect if you have it set to a higher setting and hook it upto a tv with lower specs. It will automatically drop to a setting that works.
March 10th, 2009
“I find it hard to believe that Killzone 2 will move consoles as well.”
The next quarter’s sales are going to make sad reading for those who love to clutch at these straws.
Sure it seems a decent game – althoiugh not scoring anything even close to the perfect marks some would have led us to believe – but I note now how comments are emerging about how short it is.
But don’t worry, before you know it we’ll be treated to the next false dawn nonsense.
March 10th, 2009
Only sad reading I note are from those trying to knock the game back a peg. Oddly enough, it’s from people who haven’t played it.
March 10th, 2009
“Oddly enough, it’s from people who haven’t played it.”
Funny how that always seems to be the case. Harry’s the only Xboxer here whose played it extensively and he says it’s awesome (albeit, always with a “but” after it).
-Arvis
March 10th, 2009
I didn’t say awesome, I said excellent. 3=====D
March 10th, 2009
Don’t worry I’ll play it soon and I’ll give my full review when I do.
March 10th, 2009
Well, isn’t it true that KZ2 has not had the best reviews ever?
Is telling that truth “trying to knock the game back a peg”?
I could care less either way, but it has been interesting watching all the hype and yet when it came to it it did not turn out to be the best ever at all.
March 10th, 2009
Just remember that those reviews are just the opinions of a handful of people. We often put too much stock in ‘What IGN said!!’ etc.
Just as Halo I’m sure has rave reviews but I still don’t like it.
I have only played the demo of KZ2 and thought it was OK, but I don’t like first person shooters on consoles very much. But guess what? That is all that matters to me!
March 11th, 2009
“Well, isn’t it true that KZ2 has not had the best reviews ever?
Is telling that truth “trying to knock the game back a peg”?”
Before it came out 360 fanbots said it would suck! “just look at the original” is but one of the things I recall hearing.
Now that its been released the criteria for it to get a nod from you fanboys increased. Now it has to be the “best game ever”!
It’s perfectly OK for a game that most of you really didn’t expect to have a 80% metacritic score be in the lower 90%.
March 11th, 2009
Phranctoast
That’s just not true, I never once said “it would suck! just look at the original”.
I do recall saying that it might well not live up to the enormous hype, just like the 1st one didn’t.
Now it’s been released it’s just clear & obvious that it doesn’t live up to the original hype.
It’s not (as some were claiming – here – amongst other places) the best video game ever and nor are it’s graphics the best ever.
You can play the switch around ‘he said, she said’ game all you like but the thread topics and the ton of OTT devotion (all on the basis of mag claims and the occasional still shots) were up here not so long ago.
March 11th, 2009
I don’t believe I said the game had the “best reviews ever”. You don’t appear to like being lumped into a category with other xbots but fail to give out the same respect.
Its still the best graphical game on a console. I really want to know what you found that was better. A bunch of reviewers gave it great reviews. Not sure how it didn’t live up to its hype. It exceeded it as far as I’m concerned. What was it expected to get in reviews?
March 11th, 2009
‘best video game ever’
Who has ever said that on here?
And phranctoast is right, people did say it would probably suck, based on the original. I don’t think kev would deny that, whereever he is atm.
happy I don’t know what you were expecting K2 to be like based on the hype, but I know I don’t hear cries of disappointment towards the game other than from those few I would expect to hear it from, aka you.
People think the game is great. And you are just being a troll.
March 11th, 2009
i don’t deny it. i never said it WOULD suck, only “don’t hype a game you haven’t played, due to the developer NOT proving themselves yet”…
March 11th, 2009
@Royzy
“I don’t think kev would deny that, whereever he is atm.”
You rolled the fuckin’ dice with fate and lost. Thanks, now he’s back.
March 11th, 2009
Sorry everyone.
March 11th, 2009
PURPLE MONKEY DISHWASHER (come on, make him go on strike!)
March 12th, 2009
royzy – no worries…getting tired of trying to speak rationally with you fanboys…
have fun.