Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Little Big planet, playstation, sony, video game, xbox 360
Sony Playstation has had its fair share of downs in the past couple of years. The anticipated Playstation 3 was laughed at for being extremely expensive when it was first released. The company has lost many of its exclusive game titles, including Final Fantasy XIII, the most recent installation of one of the best role-playing video game series of all time. In fact, when most consumers choose between a Sony Playstation 3 and a Microsoft XBox 360, the only thing still keeping the Playstation 3 afloat is the exclusive Blu-Ray capabilities the system possesses.
Since losing a number of its exclusive game titles, Sony has been working on developing new exclusive games. One small game that was thrown into the mix was called Little Big Planet. What started as a “little” game quickly become a big hit at trade shows and video game conventions around the globe. Soon enough, LBG (the gamer reference for Little Big Planet) was one of the most anticipated games for in 2008.
A few days before its Oct. 21 release, LBG was delivered to retailers around the globe. It was also still being tested by core groups of gamers. Just two days before the release date, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was informed by testers that one of the songs featured in the background of the game contained offensive lyrics. The offensive lyrics (sung by Toumani Diabate) ended up being direct lines from the Qu’ran, a holy Muslim text. Due to the fact that the reading (and therefore listening) of the Qu’ran is sacrilegious, SCEE hastily recalled the game, first locally, and finally globally.
So now the question: Was recalling the game the right move on Sony’s part? Did Sony’s public relations practitioners make a good move or a PR faux pas?
Many consumers believe that the background music would not have been noticed by many. The lyrics were recognized by one out of hundreds of game testers. Thousands of people who pre-ordered the game were angry at the delay. Unfortunately, many forget how fast word can travel in our society. Word of mouth makes it hard for PR practitioners to keep anything under wraps for long.
Others might wonder why the song was caught at the last minute. Was Sony trying to make themselves look good by delaying the game on a religious basis? Many think not, seeing that Sony lost millions of dollars by having the games shipped back, revised, and then reshipped.
Working at a video game store, I have first-hand experience on how angry some people were at the delaying of this game. Most people found it “laughable” that Sony delayed the game for just one song(look at the comments for this article). However, with all the controversy and anger over the game, every person who pre-ordered the game bought a copy when it was rereleased on Oct. 25, and the extra copies sold in less than a day.
Do I think Sony made the right choice? Unfortunately, by the time word got out about the offensive content, many distributors had already started selling the game. So, the recalling of the game really did not stop the offensive content from getting out there. When it comes down to it, I think Sony made the only choice they felt they could. If they had time, they could have released a downloadable patch (like they did for a previous game shown here) that would virtually erase the offensive content, a move that would have quieted angry consumers and saved the company money. UPDATE: Sony has announced a patch that will be automatically downloaded to PS3’s to remove the offensive content from those who got their hands on copies of LBG before they were recalled.
There is no way to tell if Sony made the right choice. A hundred different avenues could have been explored, but Sony did not have the time to try to find the best possible choice – they just had to choose and go with it.
If you have any input, please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear about what you would have done in a crisis like this.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dead space, fable 2, fallout 3, game system, marketing, nintendo, pr, public relations, video games, xbox
For those of you who don’t know, let me clarify my title. Fable 2 is a newly-released fantasy role playing video game for the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo DS is one of the most advanced hand-held video game systems ever created. So now, you may be wondering why video games? What is so important about video games? Most people do not realize it, but the video game industry is one of the fastest growing entertainment industries in the world. Even with our crumbling economy, video game manufacturers and retailers are still turning profits. With ever-changing worlds and video games releases daily, it is not surprising that numerous people want to take a few hours a day to escape to a world of magic, fighting, and, most importantly, no responsibilities.
However, worlds and graphics are not the only things changing in the video game industry. If one looks behind the scenes, they will realize that growth in one part of the industry means growth in another. Public relations has not been left out of the mix. Ten years ago, most PR video game practitioners worked solely with trade and video game magazines. The targeted audience was mainly men, and the overall video game atmosphere was relatively narrow.
Today, this has drastically changed. The genre of video games has hit new heights. Nearly every topic you can think of now supports its own video game – from classic shooting and adventure games to the newly introduced music, cooking, and even SAT games. With video games having such a wide variety, publications and media have followed suit. The majority of publications to date are now discussing video games, from Time magazine to Cosmopolitan.
On top of that, the audience has also changed. Women have been introduced into the mix. Female gamers have always existed – the rumor that “women don’t play video games” has always been false. What is true is that the number of female gamers have jumped drastically in the last decade. In 2007, it was even rumored that there were more female online PC gamers than male.
These cultural changes have led to more resposibilites for video game PR practitioners. Not only do they have a larger audience to reach, but there are a whole lot of alternative media to contact. There are now a lot more trade shows to promote products at and get the word out. Video game marketing has changed as well. Gone are the days of commercials that contain only “screenshots” of the video game or system about to be released. Now, you have narratives, extra material, and sometimes even celebrities to help get word out about a new product.
Another big trend in the PR field has been the introduction and recent popularity or “pre-order gifts.” These snazzy little gifts are delivered to video game retailers by PR spokespeople. They are intended as an added incentive and extra bonus to pre-ordering (putting down a payment) on an upcoming game title or system. An example of this can be seen in the Fallout 3 or Dead Space pre-order bonuses.
With the majority of the work happening behind the scenes, most people don’t realize the huge impact public relations has played in the advancement of video games. For the last few months, I have been wokring at GameCrazy, a large chain of video game retailers. During my time I have had a chance to see some of the behind the scenes work. I want to tip my hat to all those hard working PR video game practitioners out there who don’t get the full credit they deserve. As a female gamer, I thank you for making this industry survive, even in our current economic condition. Having a chance to escape and have a little time for ourselves is something we all need right now.
I hope this has given you a glimpse of just some of the responsibilities video game PR practitioners have. To learn more check out, this article, and this one, and this interview. Though outdated, there is some great information contained in those articles. If you have questions of your own, please check out the facebook group. Most importantly, if you want to read a great blog (that is uopdated frequently) on video games and journalism, please check out Sore Thumbs.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blogs, cars, manufacturer, public relations, Toyota
For a couple of weeks, I have suffered from an unwanted case of writers block. To quell my frustration, I have been browsing through car manufacturer Web sites in the hopes of finding my future car. I happened upon Toyota’s company blog, properly titled “Toyota Open Road.” I was expecting a boring and dull blog, filled with the words of flighty employees and big headed executives, but was pleasantly suprised to find that the blog was witty, fun, and up-to-date.
Your first look at Open Road might leave you apprehensive. The blog design is bland, and the grey and white pallet does not add any color to the blog. What does add color to the blog are the witty and charismatic posts of editor, Jon F. Thompson.
Thompson’s posts are quick and to the point. He discusses topic’s that are important to the general public, such as environmental and economical concerns. The blog is updated once every two or three days, which keeps the readers entertained. One of the most appealing things about Open Road is that the topics dicussed move with the times. The up-to-date posts are important for consumers and manufacturers alike.
Like most blogs, Open Road has its fair share of problems. Even though Thompson tries to steer clear of inflating Toyota’s image, there are a number of posts that focus on just that. What is refreshing to see is that there is a touch of sarcasm to these posts, which shows Toyota is comfortable with its image and not afraid to make fun of itself. Another problem is that Open Road has a small reader base. This can be seen by noting that most blog posts only have one or two comments. If Toyota worked on increasing readership and getting word out, I feel that this blog could become quite popular.
In class last week we took a look at General Motors blog. Even though the design of the blog was new and fresh, the posts themselves were dull, formal, and did not pertain to a general audience. Toyota’s Open Road revived my faith in manufacturer blogs. The topics discussed piqued my interest, and the charismatic words infused in the posts made discussing cars fun and entertaining. I am planning on keeping an eye on Open Road, and would recommend it to past, present, and future car owners alike.
Open Road can be found at http://blog.toyota.com/. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: Uncategorized
As graduation looms closer and closer, I find myself wondering if I am ready to take the next step. The path of life is paved and shaped as you travel down it. I have been lucky so far in missing most of the bumps and cracks along the way. But now, I find myself facing a path that splits in an infinite amount of directions, with no clue as to what route I should travel. I am eager, apprehensive, interested, and a little scared to continue paving my path, but have faith that no matter what road I choose I will be ready to deal with whatever comes my way.
This blog will focus on a wide variety of public relation topics, including current events, media topics, and new public relation models. I have always been interested in finding unique ways to solve problems, so I am planning on throwing in some of my own ideas as well. This blog will also focus on the bumps, cracks, and trials I will face in the next couple of years as I take the leap from college student to working woman.
I am excited to dive straight into the blogosphere and see what I discover. Perhaps the blogosphere will point me in the right direction, and give me a head start on the road ahead. Only time will tell!
