Pay attention to these gaming moments
Use them to strike up a conversation with a gamer or make some money for a brand.
Hello,
Welcome to the third edition of The Power Up. Today I’m looking at what I think the biggest gaming moments of 2020 will be. They should give you all something to look out for as the year goes on.
Big gaming moments in 2020
A new generation of console wars
It’s been seven years since Microsoft and Sony have released new consoles. The 2020 holiday season is when Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PS5 rollout. I wish they would both get more creative with their console names.
In 2013, they went balls to the wall to market their consoles. There were Mclaren’s that promoted Xbox One racing games, building takeovers that put PS4 symbols on city skylines and tons of food promotions that gave users free consoles to name a few.
Gaming has exploded in popularity since the last time these two publishers faced off. We are going to see a lot of partnerships as the release dates for these consoles near. I can’t wait to see which brand figures out a way to top putting Playstation on the London skyline.
The year of Mario
Nintendo is going to go big for Mario’s 35 year anniversary. They’ve already announced a gamified Lego set for him, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The thing people are really excited about is that there are reports that Nintendo is going to release a greatest hits collection of Mario games in September.
It‘s not a stretch to say that Nintendo is going to want brands in on the action as well. Considering that Mario has been more popular than Mickey Mouse since the 90s it’s a fertile opportunity for brands to build some equity with people. So ask yourself, “How can a pudgy plumber help my brand grow?”
Valorant, the newest esport
Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, is releasing a new game this year called Valorant. It is a team-based shooter that combines the best parts of Overwatch and CS:GO.
The game has been in beta testing for less than a week and it’s already broken a bunch of Twitch streaming records. Like big records. There were 34 million hours of Valorant watched on the first day it went into beta release.
Considering that Riot Games wrote the book on how esports can be a profitable business I’m sure they know what they are doing with this new release. I can guarantee that Riot is looking for sponsors right now to make this new game grow.
What to take away
These events are going to drive a lot of conversation as we go into the second half of 2020. With a little investment, these events can be used as pulse moments for your brand to lean into the conversation. With a lot of investment, these events could turn into kick-ass activations that could help your brand steal a lot of headlines.
Gaming news that caught my eye
Slash Gear: Pokemon Go’s popularity is exploding in the wake of COVID-19. A big part of that is because they changed their mechanics to be more social distance friendly. Good on them.
The Verge: Facebook is launching a tool that will be a one-stop shop for fans to organize esports tournaments. No other streaming site offers a service like this at the moment.
Metacritic: Remaking a decades-old classic is daunting. You have to balance nostalgia with modernization. It looks like Square Enix knocked it out the park with their remake of Final Fantasy VII. I’m excited to dive back into Midgar this weekend.
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Email: zacharystubblefield@yahoo.com
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