What format is it you have a problem with? Announcements at an official press conference - or that we also stream it live so those not attending can view? This year we are also hosting the press conference at the same time as our fan gathering, meaning 200+ fans will be able to attend the press conference. We like the extra interaction from the people viewing and participating over the standard press releases but we are always interested in hearing new and fun ideas, so please share your thinking.
Kind regards
Susana
Hi Susana,
Thanks for the response - always good to hear from the marketing team
The problem with press conference announcements is that it is a bit uninclusive and elitist. Yes 200+ fans will be there, but the vast majority of fans will not - a flight to Germany or Sweden from the USA (and other parts of the world) is very expensive and only the wealthiest among us will be able to attend unless they happen to be local. A better way (in my humble opinion) would be to announce the games in the more standard way (first an announcement on the site, than an interview or two, THEN a press conference where fans can come prepared with questions and a little fore-knowledge). Not only do your fans get more immediate access to the information, they go into the conference excited to hear MORE about the title rather than going in apprehensive about the unknown. You might even get a better turn out if you make the announcement far enough in advance of the show.
In addition, back in the day (back when we had to walk to school barefoot in 10 feet of snow and the iPhone was still a new thing :rofl
when companies used to do big press conference announcements regularly, I found that I was actually missing major announcements because I wasn't willing to sit through long videos and boring speeches just to hear what the next title is. While it's always great to discover a game you missed several years later, I'm fairly certain you guys are happier when we know about and buy a title at launch.
Note: E3 is an exception to the logic above. Because it is the only real "megashow" left in the industry its still acceptable to do press conference releases there, but I discourage even that as there are simply much better ways to get the information out.
