Tags:
Bethesda Softworks;
Fallout 3
Here is an <a href=
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19573617/>interesting & insightful article</a> for your amusement:
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<blockquote>A little validation from Masson, a writer for the French game magazine PC Jeux, and others like him can help tip the scales in the competitive game industry, where a cutting-edge title takes many years and millions of dollars to develop. That's why game designers, like movie studios, have learned to lavishly court such tastemakers, the guys who write for the major blogs and magazines and play a key role in today's big-bucks video game industry.
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Masson added Washington to his list of world travels last month, to check out an upcoming title from the Rockville-based game studio Bethesda Softworks. The company flew Masson and about 60 other writers in from as far away as Australia and Japan to give them an early look at the company's Fallout 3, scheduled for release late next year.
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In addition to an hour-long demo and chats with the game's designers, <b>the trip included a two-night stay in downtown's swank Helix Hotel, dinner at Logan Tavern and a private party at a nightclub in Adams Morgan. Airfare, hotel, food, drinks and shuttle bus were provided, courtesy of Bethesda Softworks</b>. Although a few attendees paid their own way, most did not.
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"What we're trying to accomplish with an event like this....</blockquote>It doesn't take a genius to figure out what you are trying to accomplish with an event like this, Pete.
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<blockquote>"What we're trying to accomplish with an event like this is to have the undivided attention of the important people in our industry, that cover the industry," said Pete Hines, vice president of marketing at Bethesda Softworks, whose Fallout 3 will be set in a version of Washington that's been scorched by war. "There are a lot of titles out there competing for attention."
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It looks like Bethesda Softworks is getting that attention: Fallout 3 is scheduled to soon grace the covers of 20 gamer magazines, largely as a result of the event.
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Bethesda Softworks' parent company, ZeniMax, is privately held and won't disclose the game's budget, but it's not uncommon for the budgets of cutting-edge titles like Fallout 3 to exceed <b>$20 million, including marketing costs.
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With this type of investment to recoup</b>...</blockquote>With this type of investment to recoup, one takes no chances and ensures that the game will receive the prestigious "Second Coming of Jesus!" award.
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<blockquote>With this type of investment to recoup, Hines said, his job is to whet the appetites of gamers, and that process starts with getting the press salivating. To build interest in the upcoming Navy SEAL game Rogue Warrior, for example, the company flew writers to Las Vegas, where they visited a firing range and tried sniper rifles and AK-47s.</blockquote>Fascinating. No wonder the previewers returned the courtesy by instantly forgetting what the series was about and giving Fallout 3 an "OMG! Game of the year! The best in the series! And in the world. Like ever!" standing ovation.
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Thanks, Cimmerian Nights
