Marketing the Rockstar Way

In the years since the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 on the PS2, Rockstar Games has become sort of a "rockstar" in this industry (forgive the pun). They have always had a knack for making great games and accompanying those games with wonderfully enticing trailers and marketing campaigns. What I would like to specifically call some attention to is the evolution from their standard trailers to their new, informational trailers that draw attention to specific, relevant game-play elements. In a truly inspiring move, Rockstar seems to have embraced a truly informative approach to video game marketing by focusing on what matters: game-play mechanics and world design, two of the company's biggest strengths.

Rather than throw together a distracting and oftentimes, completely misleading, presentation of a game, like the recent 'Dead Island' trailer, game-play is not only shown but explained in detail. The audience is left with a realistic expectation and a satisfying understanding of what the game is and what kind of person it is targeting. It is an ingenious marketing decision and easily the most effective way of building anticipation for a game. After the brilliant campaign for last year's western masterpiece, Red Dead Redemption, there is no question that there is something to be learned from this style. My only hope is that publishers take note of this style and imitate it to a degree.

Of course, there is definitely danger in imitating a strategy like this if the game in question doesn't do anything new. What good would a 'history channel' style trailer do if the mechanics and appeal that it was trying to explain was something that had been done numerous times. Try to picture a game like the recent release, Homefront, from THQ taking a more focused approach to their marketing. In that situation, i'm sure this style would actually work to the detriment of the title. These kinds of videos would potentially draw more attention to the game's faults and perhaps even expose it for what it truly is; a rehash of common shooter mechanics and a one trick pony. It wouldn't work for everyone but I think this style really speaks to the ambition and creativity coming out of a studio like Rockstar.

Now take a gander at some of the latest L.A. Noire marketing from Rockstar and control your bowels for just a few short months. L.A. Noire releases on May 17, 2011.