http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/view ... 460#378460
There were way too many hints at this in server 5, but now it seems official. Good show!Building Buzz for 'Halo 3'
A low-key, low budget campaign does more with less, whetting the appetite of the blockbuster video game's fanatical followers.
By Aaron Halabe
This year, Christmas Day will come exactly three months early for millions of gamers who await Halo 3, Microsoft's wildly popular first-person shooter game.
The growing anticipation of the September 25 release was deftly nurtured by a unique viral marketing campaign, dubbed "Iris," which engaged gamers in a high-tech scavenger hunt that aimed to broaden the audience for the Xbox 360 title along the way.
More than 50 people from 20 Microsoft teams contributed time, coding expertise, and industry contacts to bring the online campaign to fruition.
The project launched in June and wrapped up August 16, unfolding as a virtual treasure hunt in five episodes. A mysterious voice guided thousands of participants as they uncovered clues and puzzles at various server locations. Each location revealed previously untold details about the Halo game trilogy, which tracks Master Chief's epic battle to save Earth from conquering aliens.
The campaign generated the buzz organizers hoped for. "Getting mentioned on gaming blogs was good, but when we got interview requests from "The Wall Street Journal," that's when we knew we achieved critical mass," said Aaron Elliott, online marketing manager for Xbox Global Marketing. "It's about breaking out of the hardcore and getting into the mainstream."
Microsoft predicts that Halo will become a $1 billion franchise by year's end, helped along by one million pre-orders for Halo 3. Customers purchased 14.8 million copies of two previous versions of the game, and Halo Nation fanatics worldwide snap up licensed merchandise, best-selling books, music soundtracks, a new Marvel comic, even a Halo-inspired Zune player.
Marketers hope to extend the game's appeal beyond its hardcore fan base and to drive sales of the Xbox 360 console.
"Halo 3 competes with the largest entertainment IP in the world," said Jerret West, Xbox senior global product manager. When Halo 2 debuted in November 2004, it generated $125 million in opening-day revenues, "which was bigger than any movie opening at the time," West added. "We've since been passed by a couple of movies, but on September 25 th, we're looking to take back that top spot."