OPINION: Taking great Paine

The surprise news as we went to press on MCV magazine earlier this week was that Nintendo’s Dawn Paine is to leave the firm next month to take an important role at Universal Pictures.

The move says plenty about about how drawn to games other forms of entertainment have become.Hugely popular brands with mass appeal across all age ranges?

Yep, sounds like there’s plenty Universal Pictures can learn from the many achievements Dawn brought about at Nintendo.Her departure doesn’t spell bad things for the format holder. Clearly, there’s still plenty going on in Nintendo land. She’s built an excellent team who will keep pushing at the elusive non-gamer and mass-market audience she helped tap into.

But certainly, Nintendo will be losing a key member of staff when she goes. MCV rarely says this, but this is one of the few instances where a Hollywood firm can claim to have won something away from video games.

CAPCOM’S UNDEAD SERIES NOT FORGOTTEN

January isn’t even over and already we’re looking ahead to what this Q4 will bring.Chatter about new formats aside, little else has changed. Everyone’s expecting the usual big guns – FIFA, CoD, Assassin’s Creed, and whatever EA’s 2012 flavour of shooter is – plus games like BioShock Infinite, and maybe even GTA V.

Technically, none are ‘confirmed’, their release not blessed by any official PR yet. But make no mistake: these games are locked into the forward plans for many.

Now a new name is in the mix – Resi 6.The shock announcement that this is due for November propels the game straight into the Q4 superleague.

Unique difference here was the unveiling itself. Last week was the start of a proper marketing campaign, not just a debut at a Japanese event none of us were invited to.It ran across social, outdoor, online video and even mobile. And it made everyone feel included.

Sponsored tweets, a YouTube takeover, billboards boasting viral teasers – my phone even chirruped on Friday morning with a direct alert from O2 suggesting I watch the trailer while on the train.Such nimble activity might, just might, help pull the rug out from those Q4 incumbents that were expecting an easy ride towards the end of 2012.