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Greenberg "BIG Hellblade II global and regional Marketing starts next week"
- Thread starter Bernoulli
- Start date
Sadly that is the reality and my convinced opinion (you can agree or not with it) that the current sales situation of XBOX this generation, in an important part, has to do with the ridiculous, insignificant and poorly executed work of marketing.
It's curious because at the beginning of the generation things pointed to something different. Great presentation of .
Saving Starfield, they have been leaving everything to Twitter, Instagram and word of mouth for 3 years and it is clear that they could not have chosen worse places.
In Europe there has certainly not been a TV advertisement since 2021 for anything related to XBOX, not even (surprisingly) about Gamepass.
How do you intend to sell a product if you don't make sure that casual users don't know that it exists?
I don't know what they plan for Hellblade 2, but I doubt it will go beyond Twitter, Instagram and some poster in a subway station. It's pathetic.
Punished Miku
Member
I don't think anyone under 40 has cable anymore.
Negotiator101
Member
Talking to him is like banging your head against a brick wall.
ManaByte
Gold Member
So it's a Kojima game?
ChiefDada
Gold Member
trikster40
Member
Yeah, that's pretty much the whole game. Play the first one?
...
Team Andromeda
Member
UK here, Cable is only for Virgins (do a Google)
Team Andromeda
Member
Xbox PR is worse than SEGA America at the time of the Saturn. It's amazing to see the problem hasn't been addressed with all of MS money
ChorizoPicozo
Member
it depends on the game. I think a healthy pre-lunch marketing is about 1-3 weeks. (for these first-party "big" games).
BUT this is not the issue regarding this particular game.
when I say "pathetic" I'm taking about the two aspects:
people complaining + Aaron's damage control tweet.
but why is it pathetic?
1. Xbox community's perpetual state of uncertainty and fear.
2. Xbox's games quality has not been the best for a long while
so, this perception of lack of marketing triggers this nervousness about the quality and confidence for Hellblade's quality
and it dosen't help that so far, the way this game has been shown, talked about is already divisive and somewhat disappointing.
ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
Game is out like in 20 days and all we have is an announcement of a marketing campaign.
Absolutley brilliant. A hve no words for Xbox team. Sony spent more time, exposure and even money on Rise of Ronin. And was a niche title from the get-go.
Absolutley brilliant. A hve no words for Xbox team. Sony spent more time, exposure and even money on Rise of Ronin. And was a niche title from the get-go.
Isn't youtube the biggest place for marketing instead of TVs?
TropicanaTwista
Member
Is it though? Wasn't it already announced that the length of the game is pretty much the same as the first one? Not to mention it's not even a fully priced game and is only $50. Even the trailers don't seem to be a big upgrade from the original in terms of gameplay.
Idk, the marketing for this game has been ultra weird to me. MS showed this off at their series console reveal show in 2020. Like, I can't comprehend why a first party AA game would be shown off/revealed to the public 4 years released before it gets released, then is quiet for a good bit in terms of updates, now is gonna get a mega marketing push.
I don't even mean any of this in a negative way to hellblade 2, I like that there are some more AA games that are shorter experiences but have AAA like quality in the visuals. I'd rather see more of this than typical AAA bloat fests that we get nowadays. I just think MS has ZERO idea on what this game is and how to advertise it from the beginning.
Good thing we have lots of hands on previews that insist the combat is a significant upgrade over the original.
This isn’t an AA game by any metric, though. Between production values and cost.
What an absolute hilarious thing to say about a game that’s a direct sequel.
Negotiator101
Member
Xbox is a profitable business now, and it's backed by Microsoft who's had some successXbox, in a nutshell.
Matsuchezz
Member
Xbox marketing team are geniuses, led by a truly mastermind. Additionally Uncle Phil is backing this gem with his insightful wisdom on how AAA games are made. We all are Senua!! 
I have forgotten that the game releases this month, I have seen more marketing from Stellar Blade than this flagship title.
I have forgotten that the game releases this month, I have seen more marketing from Stellar Blade than this flagship title.
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Polygonal_Sprite
Gold Member
I'd be surprised if it outsold the original considering that was heavily discounted then eventually put on all the streaming services across PC and 8 console platforms. At full price it was the definition of niche. This could just be a loss leader to get people into GP though.
MS should have bought Remedy when they had the chance...
Loomy
Thinks Microaggressions are Real
I hope they knock the marketing for this game out of the park, because god damn these guys need to sell something.
Having said that, his list of "fun and creative" plans seem very run of the mill.
They need someone cosplaying Senua in the middle of Times Square getting into people's faces and screaming at them
Having said that, his list of "fun and creative" plans seem very run of the mill.
They need someone cosplaying Senua in the middle of Times Square getting into people's faces and screaming at them
TropicanaTwista
Member
I get that there isn't a fine term definition of AA or AAA, but I can't see in any way shape or form can a game that is not even full retail price and only estimated to be about 8 hours long an AAA game. It for sure has AAA qualities, mainly in terms of visuals as I mentioned but that seems to be the extent of it.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
It's going to bomb hard isn't it?
Pedro Motta
Member
Actually I think MS is consistently showing Hellblade 2 and doing a good job at it. If the campaign starts heavy next week they are still in time to do a good marketing push. Hope it delivers.
Gamer_By_Proxy
Member
This is something you just do and not say . . .
hey guys, we're going to start marketing soon!!! haha, sounds stupid.
hey guys, we're going to start marketing soon!!! haha, sounds stupid.
There’s a definition for AAA and it’s all about the cost. Some expand this to include production values
The length and retail price are irrelevant.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Marketing guy tweeting about marketing
RE3 Remake is an AAA game that can be beaten in 2~3 hours even when not speed running. I thought it was a well known thing that AA / AAA are budgetary distinctions, nothing to do with a games length.
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SirTerry-T
Member
I love the way Greenberg riles folk up.
He's a PR guy, that's what they all bloody do.
"All heat is good heat", as pro-wrestlers would say ...
He's a PR guy, that's what they all bloody do.
"All heat is good heat", as pro-wrestlers would say ...
Pharaoh 117
Member
Do you think it's a game better enjoyed in easy mode?
Punished Miku
Member
No, not really. But I could theoretically see someone that just wants the story getting a bit stuck on some puzzles or getting beat down in the combat. Most experienced gamers wont have an issue with this game.
The puzzles can be pretty cryptic at times though until you figure out what the general template is. There's no real HUD or explanation of anything directly. Combat is snappier and more fun than anyone here is giving it credit for. You're expected to use blocks and parries regularly, but it's a pretty large window. Some enemies have shields that block everything until you guard break them, and sometimes you have to have some minor awareness of spacing because you can get a little surrounded and need to reposition yourself. Sometimes combat is slightly obscured by heavy visual effects / psychosis effects.
Regular gamers will be fine after they get over the initial vagueness on the puzzles I think. I personally wouldn't want the game to be easier. It was just about right for me, slightly on the easy side for combat. Could go a little harder there.
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Angry_Megalodon
Member
We must appreciate that Xbox has made this game for their fans.
ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
Well, he should've start doing PR months earlier, it seems. We have way less HB2 trailers and media than Rise of Ronin prior to the same window before the release. It's embarassing for a headline heavy-hitter that was announced with the console, like Xbox is willing to fail Hellblade 2.
Punished Miku
Member
They had a CG trailer in 2019 when they barely started working on it, and tied it to the launch of the console so everyone is aware of it. Then they put out about 10 stupid shorts showing them working on it in Iceland. Then they had another trailer a few years after that at the Game Awards. Then they put Senua's face on the giant dome in Vegas. Then they had a trailer in January with like 10 minutes of developer interviews. Then they had a preview event and invited every major outlet to play it a month ago. Then they put out a documentary about how they worked with mental health specialists about it and just put that out. Now they're going to do the launch trailer and final marketing for the last 2 weeks with the marketing guy literally spelling it out for people in advance.
It's pretty obvious to everyone that a small group of people here are trying as hard as they can to find something to be angry about here and no one buys it. Keep being super concerned though lol.
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adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Your complaints seem to be mostly unwarranted.
Based on a quick youtube search, both seem to have gotten 5~ trailer before launch. Well, HB2 isn't out yet so we're probably gonna get a launch trailer or two before it releases.
And he tweets about it whenever new coverage for the game comes out, like earlier in April when there were a batch of previews.
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Gambit2483
Member
Can't wait to see that Hellblade 2 Review thread...
ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
Ah yes, usual suspects.
We'll discuss the sales numbers at a later date and compare them with HB1 (no we won't becase MS will never publish them).
Punished Miku
Member
I'm sure you will. Have fun with that.
Agent_4Seven
Tears of Nintendo
Thank fuck, the game sure needs as much marketing push as possible.
P.S. OT is done, but I'll probaly be adding new stuff to it before launch. Speakin' of which, go post your OT titles while there's still time - https://www.neogaf.com/threads/post...nuas-saga-hellblade-ii.1670071/post-269145934
P.S. OT is done, but I'll probaly be adding new stuff to it before launch. Speakin' of which, go post your OT titles while there's still time - https://www.neogaf.com/threads/post...nuas-saga-hellblade-ii.1670071/post-269145934
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Going by Hellblade 1 reviews, it actually got good reviews. I think it scored about 80/100 on metacritic.
Going by that, the game gets around 40 pts per hour of actual gameplay. Or 1pt per minute of cutscenes.
or perhaps it wouldn’t be an apples to apples comparison since GamePass exists?
We could probably talk about number of players, but you have a history of scoffing at those too…
Pharaoh 117
Member
I've played it for about an hour, so I kinda know what to expect in terms of puzzle. My question was more about combat. Thanks for the explanation.
Punished Miku
Member
I think I'm due for groceries this weekend. I'll check the toothpaste isle.
FunkMiller
Gold Member
The marketing plan is incredibly comprehensive.
It even has the press release ready to go about Ninja Theory being closed down.
It even has the press release ready to go about Ninja Theory being closed down.
DaGwaphics
Member
If you liked the original, that's the gameplay that you liked. I never expected them to drop everything from the first game, might as well be a new IP at that point.
I'm prepared for this one to be mostly slow paced with some environmental puzzles with some difficult battles mixed in. It will be interesting to see what improvements they've made to the old formula and how it has grown.
Gamer_By_Proxy
Member
Their marketing push should be, buy Hellblade 2 or all these people will lose their jobs