- Gaming studios no longer partake in long marketing cycles since a short gap between a game’s reveal and release is the current trend.
- While Hideo Kojima is not against this trend, he recently looked back at the fun in years of trailers and teases before release.
The gaming industry is now changing its marketing strategy. While studios were willing to announce games years in advance not too long ago, this is no longer the case.
Studios have realized that shorter marketing cycles are beneficial in more ways than one. However, this has upset some despite the masses agreeing with this decision.
A veteran developer like Hideo Kojima has reflected on the changing tides, claiming that this approach lacks the thrill of years of marketing.
Why it matters: As a veteran of the industry, Hideo Kojima always has interesting opinions and has never shied away from sharing his thoughts on such subjects.
Games are now only promoted a year before their release date. Subscription games are suddenly released on the release day. this is very efficient, but we wait with anticipation and fantasy. While waiting, you discuss about the game with your friends. This experience is also… https://t.co/5vVeQQQEQw
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 2, 2023
The developer recently expressed his opinion on streaming services and marketing for modern AAA games.
This discussion began with Kojima’s thoughts on the film Furiosa. He stated that the marketing of such films in itself was a joy to go through since multiple trailers, discussions, and small teasers created excitement for the impending launch.
Transitioning to the gaming industry, he asserted this was also the case with games in the past. However, with the rise of subscription services, games are often dropped without any prior announcement.
One such example is Hi-Fi Rush, which became an instant hit on release, eventually reaching 3 million players and winning major awards. However, this game lacked the excitement that Kojima alluded to.
Rockstar recently began the marketing for GTA 6, confirming the first trailer for 5 December. What made this announcement so incredible was the years of waiting and anticipation from the fans.
However, even in this instance, this buzz came from the fans’ side for the most part. Additionally, while a game like The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced well in advance, proper marketing for this title is expected to begin around six months before release.
We agree with Hideo Kojima in this instance. The enjoyment of slowly piecing together puzzles and discovering small details about a game through months of teasers is unmatched and no longer exists as much today.
The examples shared above illustrate Hideo Kojima’s point, but as he states, the efficiency of the modern approach is undeniable for publishers and developers.
The visionary developer appears to be continuing the dying trend of longer marketing cycles with his next release.
Death Stranding 2 was first revealed in 2022, but the game is not expected to arrive before 2025. However, a new look at this title is almost certainly coming this week at The Game Awards 2023.
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