Infinity Ward: Devs should do the marketing

Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward has called on developers to ‘cut out the middleman’ and promote their own video games.

The acclaimed production house has been directly involved in all the marketing and PR activities for its upcoming Modern Warfare 2 – working with Activision on when and how details should be given to the press.

We know everything there is to know about Modern Warfare 2,” Infinity Ward’s community manager Robert Bowling told MCV.

Not only do we know the game but we know the gamer. We know what to expect from them and what they expect from us. So it helps us guide design decisions and decisions overall, including with PR.”

There are certain things that are good for a press release and there are some things that are good if we presented them in a casual way – such as through Twitter.”

Bowling himself has been responsible for revealing game details to fans through social networks, and he was even on hand to showcase the various Modern Warfare 2 special editions on the Infinity Ward YouTube channel.

I think it is essential for developers to have that power,” he added.

I don’t think any developer should not have control of how their game is presented or marketed or communicated. And they should take control of that a lot, lot more.

It is why I started the Twitter account in the first place. I have direct line to our audience and the press. Many editors will follow me, and they can direct message me and I can clarify things. There is no middleman. We are responsible for what we say and what we do, and we can be held accountable for our successes and failures.”