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From Plush Toys to Live Streaming: Gaming Brands as Content Creators
Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and Riot Games: These names have greatly influenced and transformed gaming into a global cultural phenomenon, defining how people interact, compete, and socialize in digital spaces.
Gaming brands were never only about creating games. These names have become content creators, storytellers, and lifestyle brands. From animated series and live-action films to comics and merchandise, these things allowed gaming brands to expand their reach and engage with a wider audience.
So, if it’s not only about creating video games, what exactly are gaming brands all about?
Gaming In-House Studios and Creative Teams
RiotGames
In-house creative teams work within a brand or organization and handle the company’s creative field. They handle everything from graphic design and video production to copywriting and branding.
Companies like Riot Games have produced high-quality animated series based on their game universes, such as Arcane for League of Legends. Some game franchises have been adapted into live-action films and Digital Comics, like Blizzard Entertainment and Dark Horse Comics, which publish digital comics based on their game franchises.
Gaming brands use different marketing strategies and tools, depending on their target market, the content, or the message they want to convey. Here’s a look at some of those strategies.
1. Merchandise
cdprojektred
Gaming brands can generate additional revenue and expand their brand presence by having their own merchandise. For example, some of the most famous merchandise for Nintendo is their Pokémon collection, including plush toys and trading cards, as well as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda.
PlayStation, on the other hand, has been selling its consoles as collectible items, especially limited-edition models. It also sells PlayStation controllers that are often customized and sold as collectibles.
Another great example of gaming brand merch is CD Projekt Red. The brand has launched an online store where you can find a wide range of clothing and collectibles related to their popular franchises, such as The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, as well as board games and collectible cards.
2. Esports and Live Streaming
MSI-lolesports
Esports have become a major part of the gaming industry. In this arena, gaming brands can create different types of content, such as live streams, reels, and documentary-style videos.
One well-known example is Riot Games, founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to change how video games are made for players and how players interact with each other. In 2009, Riot released League of Legends. The game has since become one of the most-played PC games in the world, leading to significant growth in esports.
Rio Games then started hosting the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), an annual League of Legends that began in 2015. It is the second-most important international League of Legends tournament, behind the World Championship
As they prepared for the 2018 MSI in Paris, Riot Games looked for ways to enter this international event differently while continuing to deliver high-quality content. During the 2018 MSI, multiple teams competed over three, six-hour stretches, and this competition was streamed in a broadcast to esports fans via Twitch, YouTube, and other video services.
Riot Games broadcast of the 2018 League of Legends World Championship was carried globally by more than 30 television channels and digital platforms to more than 99.6 million viewers. This was achieved using new remote production video streaming and video encoding technologies from Haivision. The tournament was broadcast from Korea while being centrally managed and produced from the Riot Games' headquarters in Los Angeles.
Describing this technology, Peter Maag, Chief Marketing Officer in Haivision said, “Our technology and expertise in streaming low latency video over all types of networks helped deliver the level of reliability and flexibility that Riot Games needed for their remote production. We worked closely together to build a REMI workflow that supports a successful broadcast while significantly reducing operational costs, which allows Riot Games to continually innovate and deliver great experiences to their rapidly growing fan base."
Recently, Riot Games has made progress in streaming by adding new features that allow players to watch streamers playing games directly on Riot Mobile.
3. Music collabs
Fortnite
Releasing soundtracks featuring music from games can attract a broad audience and generate additional revenue since music is an essential feature of video games’ identity and experience. Fortnite, for example, regularly collaborates with musicians for original songs and virtual concerts, such as Travis Scott's event in 2020. This virtual concert experience, "Astronomical,” was a massive success.
Travis Scott performed a virtual Fortnite world concert featuring a visually stunning and immersive experience. In this experience, players could interact with the performance by floating around the stage and participating in challenges.
One of the largest in-game experiences ever, with around 12 million simultaneous views on the first day of the video game event, and over 27 million players attended during the five-day experience. The “The Scotts” music video was also filmed within the “Fortnite” event.
4. Educational Experience
Roblox
Many gaming brands have incorporated educational elements into their games or have developed standalone educational products and platforms that allow users to create their games and experiences.
One example is the virtual world created by Roblox, where players can learn, collaborate, and express their creativity.
Roblox Studio uses a visual scripting language that's easy to learn, even for beginners. Through these games, players can learn fundamental programming concepts and functions.
The company planned to invest $15 million into its Roblox Community Fund, which supports educational programming and works to create experiences while also teaching everything from math to mental and emotional health strategies.
Roblox CEO and founder David Baszucki described the immersive experiences they’re creating and their importance to students. He said, “We imagine a world where millions of students will be learning via co-experiences on Roblox that facilitate solving problems, creating, collaborating, and having fun together.
Gaming Brands as Publishers: Expanding Beyond Games
Worlds 2024 Tibbers Plush/ RiotGames
Gaming brands are more than just video game creators. By creating diverse products and services and through brand publishing, these companies engage their audiences, enhance loyalty, and extend their reach beyond the games themselves.
Live experiences, such as Fortnite's in-game concerts or Roblox’s branded virtual spaces, show the importance of gaming brands' strategies to expand the brands’ influence and create a broader impact.
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