Case Study

1
Case Study
Daniel Secareanu
2
Agenda

• Introduction
• Market Context
• Project Overview
• Branding
• Positioning
• Impact

3
Introduction

• Ubisoft more than 20 years of experience in the
  entertainment industry
• Focused on strong brands, in-house development
  and a global distribution network
• New creations success long term growth
• Assassins Creed more than 2.5 mil units sold
  worldwide in the first month
• What drove Assassins Creed success?

4
Market Context 2007

• 2007 high growth year for gaming industry
• DFC identifies four high flyers Activision,
  GameStop, Nintendo and Ubisoft
• Console market split among Sony PlayStation3,
  Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii
• Games market proving successful for both epic, as
  well as casual games
• Sequels or already established titles dominate

5
Project Overview

• Assassins Creed next-get game redefining the
  action/adventure genre
• Merges technology, game design, theme, and
  emotions into a unique and innovative world
• Inspired by historical events and played having
  social rules in mind
• Assassins Creed the right ingredients to
  create a top quality product

6
Branding

• Assassins Creed a new intellectual property
  title
• AC brought gaming to the next level through its
  unprecedented freedom of action and highly
  realistic environments
• AC made the promises of a compelling story and an
  innovative gaming experience and delivered on
  them
• Storyline framework for future sequels
• Assassins Creed easily memorable brand name
• Experience the power of the Assassin
• Nothing is true, everything is permitted

7
Positioning

• Assassins Creed new next-gen IP that redefines
  the action/adventure genre through an innovative
  gaming experience
• Experience the power of the Assassin emotional
  experience
• Nothing is true, everything is permitted power
  through freedom
• Next-gen game on next-gen platforms

8
Communication

• 4 years of continuous small reveals and well kept
  secrets building expectations and hype
• Pre-launch and post-launch mechanics
• Not just telling or showing, but involving the
  community (game play footage, community generated
  content, hands on events)
• Pretty girls can sell anything

9
Impact

• Assassins Creed won more than five industry
  awards in 2006
• New IP actually worked
• Generating hype worked as well
• High quality graphics also worked
• Innovative environment , story and controls
  worked
• Company brand and marketing budget helped all
  these work
• Assassins Creed sold 2.5 mil units in the first
  four weeks, surpassing all expectations