lundi 23 septembre 2013

"WWE2K14" & The Subject Of Online Marketing

By Rob Sutter


I am quite happy to see that "WWE2K14" has been hyped so much as of late because it seems like it could be one of the best wrestling titles of recent memory. When you think about the idea that this game is being published under 2K and not THQ like in previous years, there are certain expectations. Whether or not they will be met truly depends on how workers see them. That being said, I'd like to think that online marketing could bolster the game even further.

Yukes is still going to be control of the game's actual development but I think that there's been more attention given to fan demands now more than ever before. For those who have played such games in the past, you probably have heard about numerous characters being demanded, Ultimate Warrior being one of them. While a legend in the business, to say that he's been at odds with WWE recently would be an understatement. Such a dream seemed unlikely to become realized, you could imagine.

Recently, it was announced that Warrior would appear in the game as a preorder bonus, which sparked conversation amongst the wrestling crowd. A video trailer was shown and it showed an aged yet still intense Warrior cutting a promo that was as eccentric as it was back in the late 80's and early 90's. To some, it came across as strange but others found it either nostalgic or downright hilarious. It showed that those who bought the game were going to have much to look forward to this time around.

What struck my interest, though, was that fact that WWE showcased these characters in one of the biggest displays of online marketing that I had ever seen. Facebook was the source of this and I saw that there were different images being posted each day of a certain wrestler. We didn't know whether or not it was the Ultimate Warrior but we got a look at the bicep, hair, and what have you. It was a true guessing game and it kept fans interested, a goal of firms the likes of fishbat.

While I can't say much about the actual gameplay quality of "WWE2K14," the marketing efforts behind the game have been nothing short of stellar. This is the kind of title which has been able to gain a great deal of support and it has made be confident that the change in publisher has done it a number of favors. The concern that I have, though, is whether or not sales are going to match the hype. While I'm confident, such an aspect remains to be seen.




About the Author: