LAS VEGAS -- Given the rising cost of game development, it's no longer enough to simply make great games, says Activision's Robin Kaminsky. You have to make great games that sell.
In her speech at today's DICE Summit, the executive vice president of the publishing superpower stressed the importance of marketing and reaching out to the mass market in order to improve a game's chances of becoming a financial success.
"At one time at Activision, we thought all we needed to do was make great games. But a great game doesn't guarantee success," she said.
"What we've realized over time is that making a great game is important, but not enough." Delivering the game, then building awareness, excitement, and desire for that game is key, explained
Kaminsky.
"Creating the game is the start. Driving the desire to buy is the next step," she said.
To attract not only the hardcore gamers, but the casual players and the mass market, Kaminsky advises pulling out all the marketing stops, using a multimedia approach to catch and hold potential players' attention.
Kaminsky used the Activision title Call of Duty 4 to illustrate her points, acknowledging that "when a game is this good, it's a lot easier to create demand." Activision used a multi-pronged attack that included trailers, a strong online community, a TV commercial that aired during the NFL draft, and the beta to drive excitement and demand for the game, she said.
It's important to maintain efforts to keep the gaming public interested in the game after it's released, Kaminsky stressed. In the case of Call of Duty 4, downloadable content and tournaments were some of the methods used not only to keep people playing, but also to convince late adopters that "this is the game for them."
"In the end, the consumer votes with their pocketbook, and you want them to vote for your game."
