Much has been said in the past about marketing strategies in the gaming industry. In the past, a lot of titles would come out around Christmas, generating hype and trying to get everyone to ask for certain titles as gifts. January has also been a popular month, perhaps because some people get money for the holidays, and then have more disposable income at that time. Historically, a lot of games didn’t come out in the summer months, but that’s been changing.
This coming March, something is happening in Silent Hill that hasn’t happened before. Three titles are being released in the space of one month. This comes more than two years after the last game, Shattered Memories, was released. The release dates for Downpour and the HD Collection have been changing for quite some time now, but it looks like March will be it. Book of Memories also happens to be a release for a brand new portable, the PS Vita, which also complicates matters for people who may not be planning to buy one. Some people over at SHC were discussing the marketing strategy of releasing all these games at once.
Which brings us to: Who will be buying these games, and when? Clearly, there are those who have them all pre-ordered already because they love Silent Hill. I’m not one of them. (Well, I only have 2 of 3 pre-ordered, because I’m not certain if I want a Vita or not yet). But what about teenagers who may have to ask their parents for games/money? Their parents may not be keen on buying three of the same series in one month, especially if their kids are interested in other releases in that time period, as well. And anyone who’s strapped for cash might not want to buy all these new releases at once, either.
Some people have said it’s a terrible idea to release these three things in March. I disagree. Will Book of Memories bomb because it’s overshadowed by the Downpour and the HD Collection? I don’t necessarily think so, because I don’t see it as direct competition. It’s too different. And it’s for a slightly different market: Vita owners. I love love love my PSP. I loved my first PSP so much, I bought a second one to keep it company. So it’s not that I’m against portables, but rather, that I’m loathe to give up on my PSP. If Book of Memories is good, it’ll sell. Silent Hill fans who have a Vita by then will want it, and because of the multiplayer/customizable aspect, non-fans may get interested and buy it, too, especially if it gets good reviews. But personally, if I buy it, it probably won’t be in March. I don’t have an concrete plans for buying a Vita yet, and I plan on using the month of March to play Downpour.
Which brings us to Silent Hill Downpour. In many people’s eyes, this is the “real” release of the month. Not that SH2&3 aren’t important; but rather, that they were already released years ago. Downpour is the really new experience for consoles and that’s why it feels important and real. We still don’t know too much about Murphy and friends, but I’m cool with that. I’d rather not have too much spoiled before I pop the game into the console. Whether you’re a new fan or an old fan, if you have any interest in the future of the series, this is the one you’ll be buying. As for a marketing strategy, I don’t think the release dates on these really count. They were delayed for various reasons; at least two of three were intended to be released last year, I think. I think if people want to buy the games, they’ll buy them; even if it’s not on the release date.
Over the years, there has been much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding scarcity of earlier titles. Thankfully, some of this was sort of remedied when PSN made the first installment in the series available for download. Looking at used prices for 2 and 3, I’ve noticed that they have gone up quite a bit. I’ve heard people say that they can’t find a copy of SH2. This fixes all that, especially with the voice options for Silent Hill 2. The HD Collection provides something new for old-time fans of the series (voices, cleaned up textures, being able to play in HD) and it allows new fans to get both these games new for a reasonable price. Some of have still whined about not including Silent Hill 1, but that’s impossible from a technical standpoint. You’d have to redo literally everything in the game to make it worthy of being called HD.
On some level, you could say there is a strategy for Silent Hill to take over the world in March. It’s a nice thought, but I doubt it was really planned, since multiple delays have happened. Certainly, all these releases will put Silent Hill back on the radar, since the series has been dormant for a couple of years. We’re also expecting the second movie sometime in the near future, so it’ll increase hype for that, as well. And I’m also sick of people bitching that it’ll bring in all the n00bs. If it brings in new fans, great. That helps to ensure the possibility of future titles, which means the possibility of future GOOD titles. If the series makes money, that’s a good thing for the series. Unless you’re a hipster. I’m excited about the month of March.
