Verizon Stays Mysterious With Droid Ads

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Verizon s second TV ad for Droid, its iPhone killer smart phone, proves the mobile carrier is planning on building a lot of buzz before giving out details.  The approach is contrary to Apple s ads for iPhone, which for all intents and purposes have been slickly produced hands-on demos.

Verizon s first spot for Droid could be considered informative, in that it implied what the device can do by listing what the iPhone can t.  However it stopped short of giving even a glimpse of the phone, let alone showing it in action.  The follow-up ad foregoes any specs or information altogether, instead setting up a premise worthy of a summer blockbuster film that builds up to one fleeting glimpse of the phone.  The take aways: it s out November 6, and it has a red light.

 

Watch it at Mashable.

Addressing A Need In Game Writing

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Audio production company Side saw such a need for polished writing in games that it formed its own professional game writers agency in Sidelines. Talking to Gamesindustry.biz, Sidelines director Sini Dowling says that Side consulted on improving scripts as part of its dialogue production and recording services. The company saw enough bad writing in games that it ultimately decided to get in the business of connecting professional writers with game makers.

Dowling talks about the state of writing in the game industry and how Sidelines hopes to help evolve the craft by connecting professional writers from film and TV with game makers.

 

Read more at Gamesindustry.biz.

Timely Intertextuality A Rare Feat For Games

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Writing for WIRED, Chris Kohler recounts one of his memorable moments from Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, where character dialogue touched on the timely topic of bank bailouts. The state of the economy provided fodder for other dialogue in the game. Kohler sees few other attempts by game makers at working topics that have immediate cultural relevance into their storylines. As he puts it, games don t have their South Park yet. He wonders if an enterprising episodic game maker might not realize the potential of creating games with timely intertextuality.
Read more at WIRED.

‘Modern Warfare 2’ Sets GameStop Record

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GameStop says pre-order sales of Activision s Modern Warfare 2 are the highest for any title in the company s history.  Speaking to Mike Snider at USA Today, GameStop s Tony Bartel says customers reserving copies of the game at their 6,200 stores have managed to set the new milestone.  He doesn’t divulge how many orders the retailer has taken.

Snider writes that GameStop stores and more than 2,600 24-hour Walmart locations are planning midnight launches for November 10, when “Modern Warfare 2” hits stores. Read more at USA Today.

‘Rock Band’ Is Still Unprofitable, Says Viacom

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MTV Games parent company Viacom has told analysts that its music game franchise Rock Band has been a money loser for two years.  Writing for LA Times, Ben Fritz reports on comments made by Viacom senior management on a quarterly earnings call with analysts.

Viacom CFO Tom Dooley says the property is expected to break even or make a slight profit in the fourth quarter based on holiday sales.  Chief executive Philipe Daumann told analysts the franchise had a great launch in The Beatles: Rock Band but that the economics are not improving as fast as the company would like. Fritz writes that the high cost of manufacturing Rock Band controllers are the primary reason MTV and parent Viacom lose money on the franchise.

Read more at LA Times.

Social Game Market Just Scratching The Surface, Says Playfish

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Social game maker Playfish says it is just scratching the surface of the potential market for its type of fare. Speaking to Reuters TV, Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale sees casual games broadening the game industry s reach at a time when traditional games are facing a crunch.

Segerstrale quelled rumors that his company was a buyout target for EA. He says Playfish is not for sale and continues to be backed by venture funds Accel Partners and Index Ventures. The company is turning a profit on games that make money through virtual goods and microstransactions.  One of its current hits, Pet Society, has more than 20 million active users on Facebook and sold 4 million virtual flower bouquets earlier this year for Valentines Day. Read more from Reuters.

Ad Bureau Pushes Back On FTC Changes

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The Interactive Advertising Bureau is on the offensive against recent US Federal Trade Commission guidelines on product endorsements, calling them an example of big government. A consumer protection bill is expected to pass the House ratifying recent changes proposed by the FTC. Last month the government agency announced changes effective December 1 requiring full disclosure of commercial relationships between companies and individuals who endorse their products. IAB public policy officer Mike Zaneis calls the new guidelines an attempt to expand the FTC’s power. His organization sent a letter to the FTC labeling the changes, which affect individuals such as bloggers but exempt big media organizations, as unconstitutional. Consumer and child advocacy organizations are among supporters of the FTC rule changes.  Read more at Fast Company.

Pepsi Giveaway Promotes PS3 And ‘Uncharted 2’

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Pepsi and Sony have partnered on a promotion giving away PS3 systems and copies of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, reports QJ.net. Specially packaged Pepsi 12-packs, likely featuring plenty of Sony branding, are giving people the chance to win one of 20 PS3 systems and more than 200 copies of Uncharted 2 being given away. The contest is being run in select Western and Midwest states in the US. Read more at QJ.net.

Sony Game Division Patents Interactive TV Concept

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Sony Computer Entertainment America has filed a patent for an interactive TV concept, reports Siliconera. The patent calls for interactive overlays that allow users to interact with pre-filmed content such as TV shows and movies. Sony’s patent filing references an inspiration for the concept coming from Mystery Science Theater 3000, a popular program where viewers heckled less-than-spectacular Hollywood fare such as 1950s science fiction B-movies. One example Sony uses is the ability to toss virtual tomatoes that display physical behaviors such as sticking on an actor s face or rolling off of an on-screen object such as a table.

Siliconera provides diagrams from Sony s patent filing showcasing different experiences the technology could deliver. Read more at Siliconera.

MI6 Opens Call For Sessions

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Marketing conference MI6 has opened the call for sessions, accepting speaker and session proposals for its upcoming event. MI6 2010 is slated for April 1 at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco. The deadline for session proposals is December 31 of this year.

MI6 says the theme for this year’s conference is It’s Everybody’s Game Now, an indication of the growing impact of games in the entertainment industry. Read more in the press release.