In the summer of 1975, a film set on Amity Island in New England and starring a great white shark was released in cinemas across the country. For audiences, it meant 120 minutes of adrenaline, and it was so effective as a cinematic experience that many who had been swimming in the ocean their whole lives re-considered. Moviegoers rushed to see it; word of mouth spread, and the summer blockbuster was born.
The film, of course, was Jaws — Steven Spielberg’s aquatic horror movie filmed in and around Martha’s Vineyard. It became a cultural phenomenon and set the tone for what consumers could expect from entertainment. In the summer of 1977, Star Wars entered the arena and enjoyed a spectacular period of success as well.
Fast forward to May 2010 and we have entered blockbuster season once again — a time of year when the big budget movie fills the multiplexes and works hard to persuade us to immerse ourselves in the world of the corporate filmmaker. Already, Iron Man 2 is making it’s mark on the box office. Later, Robin Hood will attempt to banish the memory of Kevin Costner and before the end of the month we will see the return of Shrek and Carrie Bradshaw in the new Sex and the City 2 (although they have never been seen in the same room together.)
For gamers, May 27th will be the latest attempt to turn a best-selling video game into a watchable movie when Prince of Persia hits the screens. That day, the film’s financeers will be hoping not to have another Tomb Raider on their hands. Within the realm of pop culture, a great many films have been turned into video games. Prince of Persia will attempt to take a fantastic gaming experience and turn it into a blockbuster.
Game development and film have much in common. The movie industry tries to provide continuing synergies of product, and video game developers have taken a leaf out of their book by utilizing the practice of “teaser trailers” to promote their latest releases. Nothing seems to sum up this new promotional tool better than the viral campaign of Red Dead Redemption, which will be released by hometown heros, Rockstar, on May 18th.
I have talked about this Wild West version of Grand Theft Auto before, mainly because the lines around its booth at PAX East were seemingly unending. If the booth had been a theater, then the similarity between Red Dead Redemption and Iron Man 2 would have been blantantly obvious. The fact is that Rockstar has created a buzz about the game. It also helps that previews of the game have scored it very highly, including a 9.75 in the latest issue of GameInformer magazine.
Long before gamers have had the chance for take the reins for themselves, this carefully controlled and orchestrated marketing campaign has left many gamers panting in anticipation. Red Dead Redemption has become a success based upon marketing rather than gameplay; the video game is a blockbuster before release. Knowing that the game is likely to be a success, it was upsetting to learn that Rockstar took action on May 15th to ensure that the footage of an enterprising gamer showing actual gameplay on YouTube was taken down in the interests of copyright infringement.
Our friends at locally-grown Harmonix are also looking to capitalize on summer recess. June 8th will see Green Day: Rock Band hit the shelves and some are predicting that it may be an even better seller than The Beatles’ version. Most pundits are predicting this for a very simple reason: Younger gamers will know who Green Day are.
There’s no denying the impact that the mop-topped Liverpudlians have had on popular culture, but the chance for many to truly become a Basketcase will be very tempting. Again, this game is being released at the end of the college year, so frat boys across the country will have all summer to complete the 47 songs that will be on offer. The fact that many Green Day songs seem to be simple three chord progressions doesn’t mean that gameplay will be easy, so for many, it will take all summer to complete. According to John Drake at Harmonix the songs are “more complicated than you would imagine.”
So what does this all actually mean?
Quite simply, we now have two blockbuster periods for video games as well as film: The summer, which starts in May, and Christmas, begining around September. These times are rife for marketing and media hype, because they’re the best times to reach less-distracted young consumer audiences. Christmas has always been an obvious time to promote fims; winter blockbuster season segues into Oscar nomination time.
Still, very few games have achieved universal acclaim. Again, the number of products is astonishing and the big-selling games will continue to shift at a regular rate. But for the development companies with huge marketing budgets at their disposal, targeting the consumer with the cold calculation of a Hitman means more than creating software that speaks for itself. It also means spending gobs of money speaking for the software before it’s unveiled.
There is every chance that Red Dead Redemption will be the immersive gaming experience that we are all hoping for but for those who didn’t get to play the game at PAX East, the first time that they will immerse themselves in the world of RDR’s John Marston will be when they eagerly unwrap the packaging.
With an expected retail price of $60, the hope must be that the gameplay is worthy of being a blockbuster. Let us not forget, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released less than a year ago. (I still have nightmares.)
But at least I am not afraid of the water.
