The Monster Hunter franchise is one of the most successful properties to hit the PSP. The game is a phenomenon in Japan: last year, the RPG series outsold all other titles on every format.
The key to the games’ popularity is the multiplayer mode, which allows up to four PSP owners to join together in epic quests and take on colossal monsters. With the latest entry in the series, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Capcom is keen to emphasise this aspect of the game in order to emulate the franchise’s Japanese success.
“Everything about the Monster Hunter Freedom campaign is based around the ‘team of four’ concept,” says Capcom’s head of UK marketing Stuart Turner. “We know if we can encourage people just to switch on their PSP and try the game with their friends or strangers they’ll be hooked.”
THE CALL TO WAR
Throughout the school summer holidays, Capcom has arranged for a large space in Central London to serve as a ‘Gathering Hall’, where players will be able to try out the multiplayer game in a safe, secure environment. There will also be demo packs with four UMDs and exclusive DLC up for grabs, as well as a chance to meet the developers.
“We’re helping drive these events by offering Monster Hunter Freedom packs with posters and advice on how to set up a local event that can be put up at schools, colleges and youth clubs,” adds Turner.
“We’re trying to break down the barriers to the way people play games and make it as easy as possible for people to pick up and play the game with others.”
Capcom has set its sights high with Freedom Unite. With the Japanese legacy to live up to and a struggling PSP market here in the UK, the publisher has dedicated a significant amount of its resources to promoting the game and meeting this challenge.
Advertisement
“We’re desperate for the Japanese success of Monster Hunter to be mirrored in the UK and imagine retail to be as equally hopeful,” says Turner. “We’ve got a monster-sized campaign lined up and we know that the game will be driven post-launch by word of mouth as its popularity spreads through playgrounds across the country. So we’re expecting constant sales over a long period of time.
“We’ll also be encouraging stores to start up their own Monster Hunter nights and events, encouraging their local customers to come along and play. We’re positive that along with some of the invite-a-friend incentive schemes that this will encourage sales in the traditional quiet summer months.”
A MONSTER CAMPAIGN
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will be supported by a full print campaign across a range of kids and national publications. There will also be online marketing in the form of takeovers on Nickelodeon, The Sun, ebuddy and MSN, as well as banners, skyscrapers, and MPUs on the MTV, Turner and ITV networks.
A full TV campaign has been planned with 30-second TV ads running for four weeks during key programming, targeting 12 to 15 year-old males. A cinema campaign will also kick in over the summer holidays, covering off the summer blockbusters such as the latest Harry Potter film.
Finally, a full range of POS will be available from Centresoft, including posters so people can fill in their own details of get-togethers and meet-ups.
“With one of the largest marketing campaigns for a PSP title and the full weight of SCEE behind us, we’re doing everything we can to make Monster Hunter Freedom Unite as big as it is in Japan,” says Turner.
“It would be a massive disappointment if we only achieved one per cent of what the game has done in Japan but that would still make Freedom Unite the biggest selling PSP title since the GTA games were released.”
Add a new comment
You need to be logged in to post comments. If you do not have an account then please register.
Comments
0 comments
There are no comments yet, be the first to add one!