Videogame Research

'Call of Duty: Black Ops II' was released on the 13th of November 2012. The game was launched at 16,000 stores worldwide at midnight. It is classified as a 'first-person shooter' genre. The platforms used for this game are: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Wii U. The price ranges from £23 to £39.99 depending on your location and platform. Black Ops II sold 7.5 million copies in the US on the launch day and overall, for November the game sold 10 million copies.

Black Ops II is the first game in the 'Call of Duty' franchise to feature future warfare technology and the first to present branching storylines driven by player choice. It's also the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to feature sci-fi settings and weapons and it also offers a 3D display option. The 3 modes to play in are: single-player, multiplayer and co-op.
Distribution: blu-ray disc, DVD, download and Nintendo optical disc. 

Reviews- 
"Overall- COD: Black Ops II was a wonderful experience! The graphics are good and the characters are pretty strong." 

"The campaign is quite alright. All the weapons are fantastic and are well made-up since it takes place in 2025."

Developer of the game: Treyarch

Publisher: Activision and Square Enix

Marketing-
http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2/videos/surprise 
^ Iron Man star 'Robert Downey Jr' is among the cast of the advert to promote 'Black Ops II'.

Promotion-
Billboards, tv ads (commercials), newspaper + magazine ads, Facebook page, Twitter (#hashtags) - "#BlackOps2", Twitter page, online blogs, advertisements on YouTube, subscribing to the Black Ops II website and game websites. -these are the ways to promote 'Black Ops II'. The game is also advertising on billboards, underground stations and buses.

In my opinion, I think the target audience for this game is aimed mostly at boys (80% boys and 20% girls) aged 11 to 19. 

Activision believes 'Call of Duty: Black Ops II' day-one shipments were the largest for any game ever. 

2.5 million people queued at 16,000 shops at midnight (USP) to buy the game, "making it the largest retail release in Activision's history and in the industry's history". The game grossed over $500 million, in the US alone in its first 24 hours, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time. It was the fourth year in a row that the Call of Duty series had broken that same record. Black Ops II went on to gross $1 billion in the first 15 days of availability, beating Modern Warfare 3's record of the first 16 days.

Upcoming- 

'Call of Duty: Ghosts' will be the tenth main instalment in the series.

The game is scheduled for release on the 5th November, 2013. 

Advertising Campaign

'Marketing and Promotion of Videogames' - Hunger Games: Training

The role I played was the 'Creative Director'.

The campaign look and feel is: competitive, fun and intense. It will boost and improve fitness and mental strength.

The campaign slogan is: "May the odds ever be in your favor..."

As a group we decided viral marketing would be the best option to promote the game. This involves: Twitter (#hashtags), Instagram (instavid preview), Facebook page and subscribing the 'Hunger Games' website.

Celebrity endorsement-
Characters from the 'Hunger Games' movie - Katniss, Peeta, Gale and Haymitch.

USP -
Midnight release with a meet and greet with the cast from 'Hunger Games'.

PR -
Launch events (film premieres) - this will generate reviews and reports online, in newspapers and magazines.
Interviews with members (the cast and crew) who are involved in the making of the videogame.

HSBC AD

The words: Control, Success and Power emphasise how money impacts on someone's everyday life. Money can control a person by their spending habits. Money can give someone success because it highlights how a person has worked hard over time in order to be where they want to be. Finally, money can give someone power because having loads of money gives a person a higher status.