Is EA doing a good job?
 

What do you think?
Do you think the game is well promoted?

I have the impression EA could do better...

Well I don't know what EA has done for OWI apart from publishing it, they tried to produce it on the PS2, which is better than what Microsoft would of done, but Stranger never got to be on the PS2.

A thing I don't like what EA's doing is they way a put on the covers on box, they put this blue EA signe filling 1/6 of the box art. Which kinda ruins the cover.

I hope the're doing a good job for OWI.

I think it is messed up bechause this suddenly publisher change...
Like oddish said about the cover , with ea's big sign there isnt much left on the cover:(
I have nothing against microsoft but i think ea is doing a better job then microsoft...



but the stranger page is bullsh*t.
they could make a better info page...
i searched hours before i found the screenshots button:p

I say we could use some more promotional material, like ArtWorks (I love that) and Rendered Art...

Also some more video won't be too bad :p

I think they will be doing the promotional stuff in December or January.

I think the most important thing for a publisher to do is to trust the developer to make games the way they want. I have no idea whether they are good on that count or not.

But it seems like most of the promotion of the game so far has been Lorne going out to the gaming press, rather than any advertisements or anything that EA would have to pay for. My vibe is that that will start soon; two months before the game is released seems like a good time to start.

Mabey EA isn't doing those stuff you poeple wanted becuase the're smater than we think.

Smarter than we think? I don't see what holding back advertising until something like two weeks before release will do to help OWI. I dunno, the public is ignorent to the ways of Odd.

They must be converted! CONVERTED! :D

Yes, but if they start mass advertising too early you run the risk of turning into 'background noise'. The next month should probably be a good time to start advertising on TV.

Apparently, lead programmer, Charles Bloom thinks EA isn't doing a good job. Spotted this on OddBlog. ;)

I hope EA picks up the slack around December/January time and knocks our socks off with awesome marketing!

-oddguy

I asked the guy at EB Games about the DVD and they said they didn't get the promotional stuff yet.

Yes, I agree with you about the stranger page. It really sucks and there's not much info about the game that we don't already know.

EA has done hardly anything. According to Mark Snoswell of Ballistic Publishing, EA were meant to advertise the Oddworld art book. But I haven't seen a hint of advertising for anything Oddworldian.

Apart from that, EA have not properly tested the game. They have not returned a single decent focus test or play test. When Oddworld have asked EA for these tests, some idiot Executive was assigned to play the game, and scribble notes down. The bug testing has been pretty poor as well. I fear that Oddworld are left in the same situation as with Munch's Oddysee. They received very narrow reports for Munch's Oddysee, and as such, admitted by Oddworld, the game suffered from it. I would hope that for Stranger's Wrath, Oddworld Inhabitants ditched EA's testing department and hired a proper group of focus testers themselves. It may cost more, but if EA is going to feed them crappy testers, it should be worth it.

If Oddworld can't make the deadline they've set themselves, I hope they'll be smart enough to postpone. They ignored Munch's Oddysee in this manner, so I hope they don't ignore Stranger's Wrath should things not be ready.

Alcar...

I agree with Alcar, I saw hints from that too...

I realy hope EA starts doing some good job quickly!
and begin to promote the oddworld products decently!!!



some other "nice" topic about EA;
http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=10746

History is repeating itself here with EA just not caring. Its go time, people! Get the word out! Stranger launches in 2 frigging months! I know there was a lot of hype last year but this is a classic overcorrection. Advertise now and start good testing or there will be a price to pay in January.

lol are you mad, EA do a good job, it's unheard of !

what do you mean Di$array?

Well, I'm looking forward to some Stranger's Wrath TV commericals. How about anybody else?

They switched publishers?
*Crowd applauds, just like when famous people make cameo appearances on American sitcoms*
That's right, I'm in General Oddworld Discussion.
And for my two cents, I haven't heard a single thing about Stranger's Wrath. SO BIG UPS TO EA!

Woo! Perfect example. Fax is a member of the Oddworld Forums, and he hasn't heard a hint of information concerning the new game. If EA aren't going to do a good job with the advertising, testing and what not, Oddworld should see that they need to take action.

It's so funny, too, because you never hear about these things normally. Not to mention inter-company fueds / rivalry.

Alcar...

Yes, I am perfect... Ah- Example... A perfect example. I mean I come on to these forums, but not these forums, and I haven't heard a single thing about it, except that it's about some guy called 'Stranger'. I haven't seen anything about it anywhere else- Oh, that gives me an idea, I'm going to checkout if there is a board for it on GameFAQs.

There are actually quite a few Oddworld boards out there, but they tend to lack in the numbers, even though they belong to large sites like GameSpot and IGN (only two examples).

GameFAQs has boards on Stranger, as well as every other Oddworld game. They share the same boards as GameSpot, and members of both boards can interact together. You can check out the Stranger's Wrath board on GameFAQs / GameSpot here: http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gen...hp?board=37410

You may notice myself and a few other OWF regulars ;)

Alcar...

There used to be an old Oddworld 4 board at GameFAQs, so I'm sure they have turned it into a Stranger one by now.

But I tend to agree that there has been a lack of marketing. I have mentioned the game to some of my friends at Advent Children.net who enjoyed the Abe games, and they actually throught it was still coming out on the PS2 [being a FF forums, there's mostly PS2 owners there]. The only info they had ever heard on the game was when it was announced that it was first picked up by EA and was going to be mutli-platform.

As for online, most of the stuff I have seen people link to is Xbox gaming sites. Gamespot has had a bit, nothing really on IGN. Other generic websites seem to have little if anything. And there has been no advertising at all [although it may be too early], but I quite often see ads for other EA games [i.e. the sport related games] when I'm browsing around on the web.

As for the testing thing ... they should get all us here to be testers! :P But in all seriousness, they need to get some real gamers in testing, not executives, they don't know anything about that kind of thing. One thing that used to impress me with Microsoft is that they'd have rooms of people [mostly in their late teens/early 20s] who would be sitting down and testing the crap out of the games.

Abe Babe...

The good thing EA did, was picking up OWI when they were without a publisher (no more microsoft).

Another good thing is that OWI themselves kept the game very very quite. No overhyping this time. Probably EA are just following in that.

I have a feeling EA gives OWI enough time / money / freedom to finish Stranger's Wrath.

After newyear they have a month or so to convince gamers. After the holiday crazyness. I expect new info / screenshots / movies / stuff by then. But not too many, not giving too much info, so you can enjoy the game to the maximum.

According to an Oddworld Inhabitant, that is not the case.

As for keeping the game hush-hush, EA can still advertise the game. Oddworld Inhabitants have released more than enough information to do so. A few pictures here, a summary there, some video clips in between. I think it's fairly obvious that Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath isn't very high up on EA's list of games to celebrate.

Alcar...

Uhum, you could be right on this. But is that a bad thing? Do you want Stranger to be promoted like, let's say, Halo? I don't need promotion, I'll buy an Oddworld game anyway. And I'm no expert on the field, but howmany promotion is good? Don't want to promote too little (people will not know the game) or too much (overhype, dissapointment, allready tired off game even before the release,...). My conclusion; somewhere in the middle. Just like they are doing now (agreed?).

Oddworld's primary goal is to have Oddworld in every household, so that their messages can reach the world. In reality, this can only be achieved by advertising. Advertising brings in more buyers, and those buyers recommend the game to their friends, and their friends - essentially the snowball effect.

However, you have a good point. I wouldn't want to see Oddworld advertised like Halo 2 was. If Oddworld Inhabitants were able to pull off tasteful advertising in the least evasive method, while still reaching a significant amount of people, I'd be one very happy duckling.

I think starting the promotion of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath a month, or more from now is too late. I believe they should have started at least two months ago, starting off slow, and progressing to bigger and better things. Starting a promotions course this late will have its reprocussions, as it is with many other quality games that are poorly advertised.

Alcar...

You, and some other sound as if Stranger isn't being promoted at all. Here in Belgium I get as much news on Stranger as on other titles (ok, not the overly promoted once like, once again, halo 2, half life 2 or doom 3).

I have seen at least 3 (video) interviews with lorne or others.
A massive amount off screenshots (mostly the same Region, but hey)
All major sites have previews.
The EA switch was news.
Movies: The Good, The Bad and The Odd, Intro Movie
Conferences: GDC, the Wanted-cards, EA gaming show, ...
Oddworld Art Book
Info: we've seen the live ammo and the bounties

In my humble opinion there is enough promotion like it is.
(Allthough some oddworld goodies, gadgets and merchandise are always welcome)

Oddipus...
Now compare your list with other games, this isn't that much.
Plus Oddworld Art Book is an oddworld product, not a part of the games's promotion

Now it's pretty quiet about Oddworld. I do agree with everything Alcar said.
EA should start promoting oddworld decently right now, before it's too late, I don't want the next oddworld be unnoticed!!! I don't want my friends to be "huh, there is an other oddworld, out? Never heard of that". The only one who are "decently" informed about the game are the fans, the rest doesn't know anything about the game. And that's what promotion should do, throw infos, pictures and such in the consumer's face, to make them want the game!!!


Some guys at OWI actually feel like EA is not caring about them now, that's realy terrible!

I associate EA with being "sell out", i'm no fan or big companys like Microsoft, Warner Brothers etc. What happened to GT Interactive?

Xavier, you are probably right when you say that the fans are informed, while 'normal' gamers are not. I can't give an objective judgement, since I'm a fan myself.

I have very little knowledge about PS2 games for instance. Do you really think people who browse xbox sites don't know about stranger? (And maybe even PS2 sites, since the PS2-release-announcement and cancelling.) I don't know that many gamers, but the few I know have heard of Stranger.

I'm probably a little too optimistic (especially when you say that even OWI doesn't like the way it's being promoted) but maybe you are a little too pessimistic. There are other titles nobody hears about untill the release. And from things I read on IGN and teamxbox and other sites, people are way more enthousiastic then they were with munch.

(All this could be because there is an Oddworld fan who is a newsposter on the most important Flemish games-news site. He makes sure there are enough Oddworld news-reports)

Well I think one of the problems is that EA only gives screenshots (about 130 up to today)
I think they should give some Conception Art or some Rendered Art, or things like that!!!

EA can only advertise what OI give them, right? They probably don't want to give out concept art to push a game they've nearly completed, and EA's unlikely to spend time urging them to do so. The fact that its EA means they aren't doing a good job, as defined by their poor record and general MO.

On the other hand, xbox magazines are talking about stranger a good deal. There was a video on one of the little demo discs in the december issue of xbm or something of that nature. I don't know if EA is in charge of things like that or not, but in print, their getting semi-decent coverage. But no ads. (The video was "the good bad and the odd)

Xavier, I would love to see some Conception Art or some Rendered Art too. And how about advertising some commerials. Yeah Oddworld isn't big on commericals but they do put out some. I am waiting for those commericals! You know Oddworld is always heard of by gamers and is a very video defining game, just alot of gamers don't know what it is. So with a hint of advertising this new game can go flying off its feet

actually EA and Oddworld work together to promote the game (at least they should), so EA can normally ask pictures to OWI in order to promote the game.

All EA is showing is screenshots, we have got 2 artworks from them, nothing else. I think they should make a little bit more noise about the material they release, the 2 exclusive videos over at IGN are praticly unnoticable.

I want ART!!!

The only news Xbox.com has is that stranger was picked up by EA. No information, no videos.

GT Interactive, before it was brought out by Infogrames, was the best Publisher Oddworld ever had. But, then it was brought out by Atari. And who knows what will by out Atari. No one can say that EA are doing a good job with promotions. As stated, even Oddworld employees are upset with the way EA are handling things, both in promoting, and other key aspects like testing.

If EA wants more money from games, it has to advertise them at least. Can't they see that with Stranger being a First Person Shooter, that so many more people are going to buy it?

Alcar...

Sorry Xav, my point was that concept art seems like a strange beast to use for promotional purposes. I posited that OI (being secretive this go-round) would probably prefer to keep the pre-production art for release after the game has hit, and that EA aren't really falling all over themselves to push Stranger period, much less to go the extra mile of getting art that isn't accessible without thought. I suppose my point was that EA sucks, and though they were smart enough to pick up Stranger, they're too dumb to get the word out.

As others have pointed out, an advertising campaign should at least be sneaking around the peripheral right now, telling it like it is and offering condolences to those not in the know. Watch; EA's going to wait until its too late to start advertising and then bemoan poor sales. (Made even more tragic by the conscious effort of OI to make Stranger more palatable to the public than any previous oddworld game) Really, if this is what comes from getting the game out earlier I think I could've waited until an honorable publisher picked it up.

There aren't that many honourable publishers around anymore. Lorne's mentioned it before, publishers are very skeptical about financing new IPs. I would have chosen a different publisher, to be honest, but then I can't think of many other publisher that I'd want to see Oddworld associated with either.

Atari's out the window. Microsoft was too.

Alcar...

Although I'd love to see concept art as well, I don't think it's appropriate for marketing purposes. Concept art is what fans like ... generic gamers want screenshots, gameplay info and perhaps some images taken from the FMVs. Basically stuff that will show off the graphics and will entice them to puchase something. Seeing a concept sketch isn't really "buy me" kind of material, but more something that should be released later on.

Abe Babe...