4. Developer Spotlights
Performed By: Developers
Notable Workers: Peter Molyneux, Denis Dyack 
“Personally,” says our source, “being a bastard that thrives on that sort of chaos, I’d love it if I had been promoting Too Human just after Dyack went supernova. Who cares about the dev and his studio? Our job is to make sure the game sells and the more it’s in the headlines, the more likely people are to pre-order it, or to pick it up to see what it's like.”

He is, of course, referring to the Silicon Knights president whose profile has exploded in recent years. Whether Dyack’s – and indeed Too Human’s – sudden notoriety was an intentional move or not, the ultimate result was sales. “Every time he says something dumb or his court case with Epic goes another step in the press, that's a few more copies sold.”

5. Bullshots
Performed by: Developers, Publishers
Notable Works: Killzone 2, Madden NFL 2006

Of all the words that could possibly encapsulate what a doctored-screenshot is, Penny Arcade’s sharp portmanteau of  the terms ‘screenshot’ and ‘bullshit’ has always felt the most appropriate. Bullshots live a dishonest existence from the moment they are released, with just a single image providing a thousand reasons to be let down by a finished product.

“Bullshots are often just pieces of internal concept art,” says our source, “targets for the development team from the designers and producer. They usually enter the public eye when this internal art ends up getting misused at times of pressure. What will happen is that an agency will ask the local PR for a screenshot to accompany an exclusive announcement that’s set to be released. This request is carried up the chain of regional PR team to central PR office, to producer, to lead developer and some starving artist, before travelling all the way back. By the time it gets back to the PR team, there's no time to ask for a new one, so no-one looks too closely at it.”

 

6. Association
Performed By: Developers, Publishers
Notable Works: The Godfather, Enter the Matrix, ET

Why build hype and reputation when you can just simply hack into it? Videogame adaptations of blockbuster films are nearly as old as the business itself, going as far back as February 1975 with Atari’s Shark Jaws, an unlicensed tie-in to Spielberg’s classic thriller that was set to open in cinemas weeks later.

Game adaptations of movies are an economic no-brainer. They almost-always fall short of the prestige of their film counterparts, yet they never fail to sell incredibly well, with recent critical bombs such as Iron Man and Transformers typifying how hype works best on the less-informed, casual gamers.

“I blame Ocean back on the Sinclair Spectrum for this and I hate it,” says Everiss, referring to the UK software company that was notorious for buying up rights to make games from a number of movie and TV franchises. “It’s just lazy marketing to ride the coattails of a book or film. You end up just being part of their merchandising and paying for the privilege, and it’s a dangerous system because you’re not building ownership of your own brands.”


 

7. VIP Touch-ups
Performed by: Publishers, PR, Celebrities and their Agents
Notable Works: The Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie, Nicole Kidman, Microsoft

Celebrity endorsement is one of the most straightforward ways to generate interest within core and wider markets, and it has worked perfectly in numerous industries. Celebrities can be used to mask the potential flaws of a product whilst keeping it under an intense spotlight, as well as simplify a product’s message so that it can be effectively delivered though a brief glance at a billboard or poster. ‘I’m Nicole Kidman, and I like the DS’ can be far more winning to certain audiences than a list of reasons for buying one.

“Having a celebrity makes your product more acceptable to a wider range of media so you reach a far wider audience,” says Everiss. “I have worked with celebrities such as Colin McRae quite a lot, and from a marketing perspective I like them because people relate to people, so it humanises what you have to say.”