PR Team

There’s no doubting that the standard of PR in the UK games industry has stepped up a gear over the past couple of years, with the market’s key communications execs not only having to promote their latest products, but also dealing with often unfair swipes from the national press about hardware shortages, violence in games and even slaughtered goats. This year’s finalists are:-

Nintendo/Red
Microsoft/JCPR
EA/Shine
Sony/John Doe
Vivendi/IndigoPearl

Game Campaign

It’s not all about big-bucks ad budgets. This award takes into consideration the effective communication of the product or brand, creativity and execution, influence on sales performance and the impact of the campaign versus the budgets available to the marketing teams. Last year’s eventual winner was Microsoft for its promotion of Gears of War, but who will do it this year? The finalists are:-

Halo 3 (Microsoft)
Touch! Generations Range (Nintendo)
FIFA '08 (EA)
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Sega)
Call Of Duty 4 (Activision)

New Game Brand

The games industry is often criticised for a lack of innovation, of churning out sequel after sequel. And on a certain level, that criticism may be justified. But new IP continues to roll out to both critical acclaim and commercial success. This award celebrates innovation and creativity – with each of the finalists having the potential to grow into long-term franchises. They are:-

Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft)
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune (SCE)
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Sega)
Bioshock (2K Games)
Mass Effect (Microsoft)

Marketing Team

Another fiercely competitive category, this award is designed to recognise the creativity of a marketing department, taking into account the budgets that are available. Nintendo grabbed the award last year. Battling it out to pick up the accolade this time are:-

Microsoft
Nintendo
Ubisoft
EA
SCEE

Trade Marketing Team

This category focuses on the commitment to retail provided by the publishers and format holders – whether that’s POS, trade advertising, merchandising or store promotions. The award was nabbed by Ubisoft last time. This year the companies who are hailed for customer service are:-

Sony
Activision
EA
THQ
Microsoft