I like to pretend I have an eclectic, esoteric taste in video games. But that's a lie. For every obscure video game I have on my shelf, there's a massively successful heavy hitter next to it. I mean, Katamari Damacy is sandwiched in between Grand Theft Auto and Portal 2, for Pete's sake. I'm a victim of hype just like anyone else. Sometimes I end up really liking the game (Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands 2), but most of the time it's $60 thrown out the window (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Resident Evil 6). The problem with hyping up a video game is that for every budget-busting, live action TV advertisement, people ascribe value to that product. "Wow," they think, "this game is everywhere. It must be really awesome!". This isn't always the case. Remember Duke Nukem Forever? People waited more than a decade for this game, and as the release date drew closer, he had full-spread magazine ads, life-sized cardboard cutouts, and commercials on primetime television. But the game itself didn't even come close to living up to the expectations fans had drawn for it based on the publicity generated by ad campaigns. The new Tomb Raider fell victim to this same over-hype/under-performance situation that killed Duke Nukem. It was critically acclaimed and moved 3.4 million units during the first month of its release, giving developer Crystal Dynamics their most profitable launch in the history of the company. And yet, it failed to meet the projected 5 million units. Predicting a huge quarterly loss, Yoichi Wada resigned as the CEO of Square Enix, a position he had held for 13 years. In essence, hype is a toss up. It can either drum up excitement to boost sales or create expectations that simply can't be lived up to. As the old saying goes, "Any publicity is good publicity". Well, yeah, I guess. But watch how long it takes to alienate a fanbase when you tell them you're selling them a diamond when it turns out to be a pile of crap.
Eller likes a lot of old video games, and some new video games. Follow him on Twitter (@JordanEller) for updates about articles, but mostly silly jokes.
I like to pretend I have an eclectic, esoteric taste in video games. But that's a lie. For every obscure video game I have on my shelf, there's a massively successful heavy hitter next to it. I mean, Katamari Damacy is sandwiched in between Grand Theft Auto and Portal 2, for Pete's sake. I'm a victim of hype just like anyone else. Sometimes I end up really liking the game (Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands 2), but most of the time it's $60 thrown out the window (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Resident Evil 6). The problem with hyping up a video game is that for every budget-busting, live action TV advertisement, people ascribe value to that product. "Wow," they think, "this game is everywhere. It must be really awesome!". This isn't always the case. Remember Duke Nukem Forever? People waited more than a decade for this game, and as the release date drew closer, he had full-spread magazine ads, life-sized cardboard cutouts, and commercials on primetime television. But the game itself didn't even come close to living up to the expectations fans had drawn for it based on the publicity generated by ad campaigns. The new Tomb Raider fell victim to this same over-hype/under-performance situation that killed Duke Nukem. It was critically acclaimed and moved 3.4 million units during the first month of its release, giving developer Crystal Dynamics their most profitable launch in the history of the company. And yet, it failed to meet the projected 5 million units. Predicting a huge quarterly loss, Yoichi Wada resigned as the CEO of Square Enix, a position he had held for 13 years. In essence, hype is a toss up. It can either drum up excitement to boost sales or create expectations that simply can't be lived up to. As the old saying goes, "Any publicity is good publicity". Well, yeah, I guess. But watch how long it takes to alienate a fanbase when you tell them you're selling them a diamond when it turns out to be a pile of crap. 