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indie game marketing making video games Uncategorized unreal video game industry video game marketing video games

Black Myth Wukong: Unreal Indie Game vs AAA

Black Myth Wukong indie game indie game marketing aaa
Black Myth Wukong indie game indie game marketing aaa

Blurring the Vision:  Black Myth Wukong: Indie to Best the AAA’s?

Game Science.  Chinese indie game developer.  Age-old tale based on the classical 16th century myth of the Monkey King.  Sun Wu Kong. Within the video game industry?  We are quick to categorize.  EA Sports?  AAA.  Star Wars? AAA.  Assasins Creed?  Same.  Franchises and titles we would say, with our heads held high as the team responsible for making video games or publishing such household titles.

Flappy Bird?  Definitely indie game.  Translation: low budget, low- to mid production value.  Graphics and storyline?  Similarly lightweight and sub-AAA.  By a mile or more…

What does it do RIGHT in terms of video game marketing?

For starters.  It let the gameplay do the talking.  Just look at the stunning gameplay shot.  Check out the amazing graphics to ooh and ahhh anyone. Indie game or not, this game is beautiful.

On the r/games subreddit,  Reddit user xg4m3CYT said, “The game came out of nowhere, is made by an indie studio, and completely swiped the floor with most of the announced AAA games.”

Black Myth Wukong AAA console graphics from indie Game Science
Black Myth Wukong AAA console graphics from indie Game Science

Black Myth: Wukong – Stunning Graphic. Beautiful Fun Gameplay.  And a Familiar Back Story.

In a 13-minute long trailer, what exactly did they show? In short the trailer showed FOUR hard, thunderous punches.

  1. BACK STORY – It Told the Story through a Sage Narrator, not unlike the opening of the Lord of the Rings
  2. CONSOLE GRAPHICS – Stunning graphics made possible through the Unreal Engine.  Arguably one of, if not THE video game engine to beat.
  3. ACTION-PACKED COMBAT – Incredible combat and cinematic fight scenes, to rival the best AAA gameplay we’ve seen in recent years.
  4. ROLE-PLAYING VERSATILITY – Shape-shifting abilities.  True RPG style, this lets the player transform from the combative monkey king into an unassuming cicadas, to avoid detection by foes.
Black Myth Wukong AAA graphics Game Science Unreal Engine
Black Myth Wukong AAA graphics Game Science Unreal Engine

On the record, I have never marketed or published a game so beautiful, regardless of Indie or AAA, Unreal or otherwise.

If this gameplay trailer is any indication, this indie game is breathtaking.  That this is PRE-Alpha gameplay?  I can only imagine.  As in just how beautiful and stunning the Beta or GA version will be.

Oh, let’s not forget the amazing combat.  For a guy who marketed and published titles like Dragon Age and Ultima, this game took my breath away.

Mind you, my games were not shabby.  But this game?  On another level of breathtaking photo- and video-realistic AAA graphics and real-time action combat altogether.

HODA Saboteur Hawke character tier progression
HODA Saboteur Hawke clear character tier progression: material, gear, costume, etc

 

Since the game doesn’t come out for a while, I have no real-world first-hand experience.  While not MY personal video game greatest of all time, this game has definite disruptive potential.

Did the Game Science team do ample consumer insights and market tests in Asia? From the reception that the gameplay trailer had received on IGN and Youtube?  This game is well-received, well tested, if it were tested.

Wukong’s gameplay looks to be a single-player Action RPG.  But could it be turned into a team-based co-op Action RPG instead?

Or maybe the Game Science guys are even thinking eSports multiplayer combat down the road?  If not this game, perhaps another awesome MMO Action RPG waiting in the wing?

This surely begs the question.  What defines an AAA game studio?  Is it the team size?  Is it the size of the budget spent making video games?  Or is it the quality of the video game content, UGC or otherwise, that’s presented to the players?

I have no idea what the video game pricing may be, whether it be a $59.99 premium price like we are accustomed to.  Or if it were a special collector’s edition premium price game like the NBA2K21 Black Mamba Edition.

One thing is for sure.  Whatever its price, I want it.  AAA or indie, I want it.  What say you?

Did we mention the gameplay narrative is 100% in Chinese with English captions and subtitles?  Didn’t seem to stop gamers on Youtube and Reddit, gushing over how much they want to play this…

Per what the IGN reporter mentioned, Black Myth Wukong has approximately 15 hours of gameplay.  Given the game is pre-alpha, I imagine there will be much more content and gameplay by the time it launches.

While not exactly a branded IP franchise, the Journey West is a tale familiar to many across Asia.  For my $.02.  This one has legs.  Two thumbs up.  All the way.

Black Myth Wukong Game Science AAA graphics gameplay from indie studio
Black Myth Wukong Game Science AAA graphics gameplay from indie studio
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consumer insights making video games personalization retro video games video game industry video game marketing video game reboot

The Old Is Throwback and the Dusty Is Retro

Donkey Kong Wreck It Ralph Source_Fanon
Donkey Kong Wreck It Ralph Source_Fanon retro video games video game marketing

When Marketing and Rebooting Retro Video Games…

Video game marketing, at least retro video games, is a lot like rebooting an old movie.  This much I’ve found to be true.   How exactly?  Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning still matters.  In fact, a LOT.  Let’s take a close look how.  Let us use Wreck It Ralph as an example.  The 2012 Disney hit racked up $497 million at the box office worldwide and another $130 million in domestic DVD sales.  The budget?  All of $165 million per Wikipedia.  What does my math say?  3.8X ROI.  Even before international DVD sales and rentals!  Personally I love this movie.  Both for its “life lessons” teaching moments for us parents.  And for the healthy nostalgia to bring back fond gaming memories… And not to mention inspiring a new generation of Generation Z and Generation Alphas to the gaming world.

Donkey Kong Wreck It Ralph Source_Fanon

What did Wreck It Ralph Do Right to Reach Its Audience? Let’s Find Out

First and foremost, who is (ARE) Wreck It Ralph’s target audience(s)? First there are the gamer dads and moms.

Demographically Precision Targeted at Dads and Moms 35-55

First, gamers aged 8 to 18 between about 1980 and 1999 would today be as young as 30 and as old as 58.  What are those games we loved?  This “Golden Age of Video Games” gave us such fan favorites as Qbert, Asteroids, Pac Man, Donkey Dug, Tapper and more in the 80s.  As well as early PvP competitive games, whether FPS shooters like Quake, Doom, Duke Nukem (like I love as my personal video game GOAT greatest of all time) as well as 1v1 PvP combat action titles like Streetfighter and Mortal Kombat.

A fan and student of the video game industry?  Then you would recognize many instances of crossovers.  Retro video games crossing over and being made into a new animated or live action movies.  As well as examples of video game reboot of an older movie or TV IP, being reimagined on a game platform.

Understandably the games we played, like the music we listened to, bring us back to simpler days and memories. I’d venture to say the Disney studio team did a thorough job of market research and consumer insights.  Wonder why? First, to pinpoint which retro video games had the highest “awareness” and positive “favorability” among the target Dads and Moms.  Second to laser focus on the precise messages and creatives, to best activate our deep-rooted emotions of nostalgia and euphoria. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

A Healthy Dose of Visual “Memory Lane” Nostalgia for Aging Dads

Even during the “Wreck It Ralph” trailer debuted September 2012, this much was clear. Anyone who grew up with the arcades of the 80s and 90s recognizes the video game icons of the day.

 

Visual associations of Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Qbert, Streetfighter, and More Stimulate the “Gamer Dad” Brains in under 150 seconds

If you paid close attention to the movie’s launch trainer, you’ll notice it included a barrage of visual associations:

  1. “Hero’s Duty” the title of which reminds us first-person shooter fans of “Call of Duty”
  2. Gameplay of Fix It Felix (from the 2D retro pixelated layout, to the large oversized monster – aka Ralph – wrecking and destroying a red brick building that must be fixed – reminds us of “Donkey Kong”
  3. Visuals of Pac Man and Miss Pac Man
  4. Street Fighter good and bad guys from Bison and Zangief to martial artists Ken and Ryu
  5. Cute and lovable Qbert and simple mindless fun of Tapper
Wreck It Ralph deviantart ClariceElizabeth retro video game characters
Wreck It Ralph deviantart ClariceElizabeth retro video game characters

One can defensibly argue the awareness and discovery and emotional appeal to the gamer dads and moms is sufficient to ensure both pent-up demand, viewing intent at the box office.  One that translated even after the game was released to DVD and rentals, into significant DVD sales and rental revenue again.

But what about new consumers?   What about Millennials or Gen-Z who did NOT grow up with these games from the Golden Era?

Exploring New Worlds and Meeting New Friends? Associations of life stage changes, encouraging Gamer Dads (and Moms) to Introduce the Movie to Their Kids.

Here Disney does something really clever.  Needless to say, the Disney brand convinces the aging gamer dads and moms that the movie is safe and appeals to families with kids.  More importantly, what do dads and moms want more than anything in the whole wide world?

He’s Got One Chance to Play the Hero.  Emotional Appeal to Gamer Dads to Be the Hero to Their Kids

The next message really hits home for parents. Wreck It Ralph was said to be nine feet tall.  Vannelope von Schweetz was all of three feet six inches tall.  The sheer size difference and the humorous exchanges between them?  Something that reminds many dads, gamers or not, of the relationships between ourselves and our kids.  This emotional appeal to dads truly pulled at the heartstrings.

Dad child psychology emotional appeal Wreck It Ralph video game reboot
Dad child psychology emotional appeal Wreck It Ralph video game reboot

In clear large captions, Dads and Moms are reminded this was a Story for Everyone.

When watching this trailer for the first time, a lot of dads felt inspired – that this was a “Must See” with the family and kids.  Whatever the nature of that relationship may be, Dads and Moms were seeing themselves in the shoes of Wreck It Ralph, to fill in the blank of how the story directly appeals to them (think personalization and user-generated content.) Of course we had to see how the story ultimately unfolds.  Just in case, any doubts remained?

But how would it appeal to the kids?  No retro video game or movie reboot would be complete, if it didn’t successfully create appeal to multiple demographics.  Right?

 

What about the “Kid” and “Generation Alpha” appeal?  Here the Disney studio team went a completely different direction.  Retro and Reboots mean nothing to someone who was never exposed to the intellectual property (IP) the first time.

The kids are instead treated to “Retro Is the New Cool” in the movie.  Just as the little girl with glasses was playing with Hero’s Duty and accidentally saw the clearly out-of-place, from-another-bygone-era Wreck It Ralph in the game, the kids of Gamer Dads can expect to see:

Visual 3D Rendered Colors and both Environment and Character Art Popularized by Pixar, with a Speed of Storytelling that Generation Alphas Find Familiar and Expect

Beautiful 3D Models and Animated Characters with fully rendered and vibrant colors.

Unconvinced?  Look at the prominent shading in vibrant colors on the face of Sergeant Calhoun.  As well as the vivid rendering using millions of colors.

Another Legal Drug that Kids Absolutely Adore – Sugar and Sweets

While Generation Alphas knew little to nothing about retro video games, there’s one thing they CAN and DO love.  When asked if he or she loves candy and sweets, the exception are those kids who say NO.  The subliminal message here?  Do you love candy and sweets? If Yes, you will want to watch the visual eye-candy that IS this movie.

Oh, and the fan art like the Deviantart creation of all of the Wreck It Ralph retro video game chararacters, in one place?  User Generated Content and celebration of a Disney reboot of not one, but a combination of beloved video game characters and content in one place.  Brave, Disney. Can we say, loved by Gen Z and Generation Alpha?

Like movies, like video games.  Like I said, when marketing retro video games?  There are a LOT of lessons learned from the movies… and vice versa. Deja vu.  Reboot!

 

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gamer gaming video game video game industry video games

State of the Video Game Industry

video game, cosplay
Sheffield, United Kingdom - June 11, 2016: Cosplayers dressed as characters from the video game series 'Halo' at the Yorkshire Cosplay Convention at Sheffield Arena
Team of Professional eSport Gamers Playing in Competitive Video Games on a Cyber Games Tournament. They using Microphones.

“All men dream – but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity… But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did.” From T. E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Uncharted 3

 

Video games have found their entrée into just about every household today. Close to 65% of American adults play video games, whether through their phones, laptops, or gaming systems. When broken down, 60% of people are playing games on their smartphones, 52% at their personal computer, and 49% with a gaming household. Even more, about 75% of Americans have at least one gamer in their household.

To put the $152 billion a year market in context, that is larger than the annual revenue from movie box office and music, combined (Kevin Chou, Forte, 2020) Furthermore, 2.5 billion gamers across the world, means 1 in 3 people across the world, games. 

Video games are no longer the exclusive strongholds of teenaged fanboys.

 

Rather, with the advent of smartphones and tablets and the “anywhere, anytime” accessibility they provide, gamers span generations – millennials and boomers alike take part in this digital interaction. And yes, boys, girls, men, women, alternative lifestyle, and more, play games on their smartphones, tablets.  Not to mention contributing  user-generated content or UGC.: videos, reviews and more.

 

HERE’S a TRIVIA QUESTION.  What do Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Milla Jovovich to Rami Malek, Sarah Silverman, John C. Riley, Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Rodriguez have in common?

 

The obvious answer is that they are all current and former Hollywood A-Listers past and  present.  The LESS OBVIOUS answer is that they have all starred in movies which had started out as video game franchises, loved and played by millions of gamers on a range of gaming devices.

And more amazingly, video games are as part of pop culture as music, sports, and movies.  If you need any more convincing, just look at the following list of popular movies about video games:

  • Tomb Raider (2018)
  • Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019)
  • Warcraft (2016)
  • Assassins Creed (2016)
  • Angry Birds the Movie (2016)
  • Rampage (2018)
  • Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
  • Hitman Agent 47 (2015)
  • Need for Speed (2014)
  • Prince of Persia (2010)
  • Ready Player One (2018)
  • Resident Evil Retribution (2012)
  • Wreck It Ralph (2012)
  • Doom (2005)
  • Mortal Kombat (1995)
  • Tomb Raider (2001)
  • Street Fighter (1994)

As gamers, we are part of a large, thriving and rapidly growing community.  Of fangirls, fanboys, athletes, streamers, developers, artists, and as many of us have already known for many many years, celebrities, actors, actresses, and musicians among us.  Game On, Game Proud.