Square Enix Shells Out the Cash and Crosses its Fingers
Square Enix takes its new Final Fantasy's advertising expenses to the XI'th power
Published: March 19, 2004
Square Enix is pulling out all the stops for its latest creation heading to the Playstation 2. Betting big bucks on the success of Final Fantasy XI, It's obvious that both Sony and Square Enix have a lot riding on this title to help them determine the future success of online gaming on the Playstation 2. Shelling out millions on advertising, expect for a throng of new commercials, magazine ads and Internet ads to emerge out of the woodwork in the coming weeks.
"The marketing support behind FINAL FANTASY XI will demonstrate the deep gameplay and online capabilities of one of the most in-depth online adventures ever created, along with the most storage capacity for any console to date," announced Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Through broadcast, print and online outreach, we will generate a broader awareness and excitement for this historic franchise."
And, if that's not enough, (which it never is) Sony is holding a midnight launch party in its Metreon Playstation store Located in downtown San Francisco. Patrons will start lining up on March 22 (that's a Monday) at 7:00 p.m. Starting at 8:00 p.m., buyers will be given the opportunity to try out the game themselves before the unit goes on sale at exactly 12:01 a.m. Expect some other festivities to be going on as well, the most notable of which being the Final Fantasy themed costume contest, with the top 2 best dressed bringing home big prizes. (Cosplay…meh)
For the other 99% of you who don't live in the immediate downtown San Francisco area, expect the bundle (40 Gig hard disk drive and game) to hit stores on March 23.
"The marketing support behind FINAL FANTASY XI will demonstrate the deep gameplay and online capabilities of one of the most in-depth online adventures ever created, along with the most storage capacity for any console to date," announced Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Through broadcast, print and online outreach, we will generate a broader awareness and excitement for this historic franchise."
And, if that's not enough, (which it never is) Sony is holding a midnight launch party in its Metreon Playstation store Located in downtown San Francisco. Patrons will start lining up on March 22 (that's a Monday) at 7:00 p.m. Starting at 8:00 p.m., buyers will be given the opportunity to try out the game themselves before the unit goes on sale at exactly 12:01 a.m. Expect some other festivities to be going on as well, the most notable of which being the Final Fantasy themed costume contest, with the top 2 best dressed bringing home big prizes. (Cosplay…meh)
For the other 99% of you who don't live in the immediate downtown San Francisco area, expect the bundle (40 Gig hard disk drive and game) to hit stores on March 23.