Xbox • Rise of the Tomb Raider & Forza Horizon 2 video game launch
Campaign Overview
As a major player in the video game industry, Xbox had a vigorous slate of game launches annually. During my time working with this brand, I helped lead two blockbuster game launches — Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Forza Horizon 2.
Similar to the major movie studio business, Xbox treated each video game release as if it were a high-budget motion-picture film release starring A-list talent. As such, we were tasked with producing campaigns that not only delivered on media KPI’s, but also worthy of a ripple-effect of buzz and PR.
The Challenge
Each game title presented its own unique set of challenges.
For Rise of the Tomb Raider — as this was the eleventh main entry to the Tomb Raider series, fans had high expectations of this game. Not to mention this was a sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider, which has received much praise. The challenge lied in assuring existing fans that this installment was just as strong as the prequel (if not better), while enticing new fans to purchase.
In Forza Horizon 2 — this was also a sequel to 2012’s Forza Horizon, and the seventh installment in the Forza series. While this video game was developed for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles, we had to convince existing fans that this installment was just as good (if not better) than the previous release, while also encouraging new players to join.
The Solution
Since both game titles had a pre-existing fan base and was a sequel in a multi-installment series, we approached the advertising strategy similarly.
Here’s a high-level view of a few tactics we deployed:
In 2014 - 2015, social media advertising experienced a huge uptick in media spend and digital investment. As such, we ensured that both game titles had a sizable share-of-voice across the paid social platforms
UGC (user-generated content) and custom content was also on the rise — we partnered with notable media publishers (i.e. IGN, Polygon, etc.) to create bespoke executions that brought awareness to the game releases in a new & exciting way
For brand awareness and scale — we tapped into our tried-and-true partners & platforms across digital display, social, video, and high-impact media
The Results
From a digital media KPI perspective, we were able to deliver on the campaign goals across most metrics (i.e. brand awareness, CTR, CPV, etc.).
Holistically, the game titles fared well post-campaign launch. In regards to public reception & sales:
Rise of the Tomb Raider — generally positive reviews (86/100 on Metacritic, 9.3/10 on IGN) and approximately 610,000 copies sold in North America
Forza Horizon 2 — highly positive reviews (86.25% on GameRankings; 86/100 on Metacritic) and approximately 560,000 copies sold in North America
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