Games Publishers

Gurdeep Singh Sheri

The role of a Video Games
Publisher
• A video games publisher manufactures copies of the original
game to distribute to retail stores that will then sell them such
as GAME
• They also pay for all the marketing materials to promote the
new game to the public.
• Often produce all the box art and manuals of the new game
• Will also pay for licenses which may be required as well as
paying for localization which is the regions in which the game
is going to be released in.
• Will often pay for the development of a game before it has
even been started
• Are usually major international companies
• May have a developer within the company – called an ‘in
house’ developer which is not unusual
• These days, games are becoming incredibly expensive to
produce mainly because of the advanced graphics and
gameplay that is demanded on the Xbox and PS3 format
• A game usually requires around $15-$20 million dollars to
develop and publish on these consoles. Activision’s
‘Spiderman’ cost $35 million dollars just to develop and this is
not including marketing and sales. This shows the extreme
attention to detail required for these high demanded games.
• Can also be a console manufacturer such as Nintendo
 NINTENDO
• Nintendo is multinational company, founded in Kyoto, Japan in September
23rd 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi
• By the end of 1969, Nintendo had tried many businesses such as making
hanafuda cards, a cab company and a hotel business.
• They then tried the video games industry and now are one of the most
successful console manufacturers in the world.
• They also publish games as well as develop, so we can say they are also a
in-house developer. Most of the games produce are only compatible with
the Nintendo consoles
24.01 million sold 22.61 million sold 3.07 million sold • Nintendo do not have a specific games genre they choose to publish and
develop. As you can see from examples of their games, they all have a
Mario Kart appeals Wii Fit is mostly The Legend of
different genre.
to its target aimed at women Zelda is a well
audience of as they seem more known Nintendo • For Nintendo, the target audience changes for the different games. For
children as it concerned about published game. example ‘Mario’ games would appeal more to children than adults
presents a racing their figure and The main appeal is whereas a game like ‘Wii Fit’, would appeal mostly to adults as a fun way
game with a fitness. This is the gripping to stay fit.
animation twist. shown by the storyline and • Nintendo also own the biggest share in the American baseball team
The thing about female figure on gameplay which ‘Seattle Mariners’
Mario Kart is that it the cover. Women Nintendo have • Nintendo when translated to English means ‘Leave luck to heaven’
is not to advanced with this game can enhanced to make
like a racing game improve their the target
in terms of cars but shape and health audience of 7 – 30
Wii TV advert
has its own in the privacy of year olds explore a
promotes games
fictional cars and their own homes different method that
cartoon characters, which is the main of playing besides Nintendo have
therefore making it appeal of this the standard published and
more stimulating unique game. controller and developed which
and easier to relate console. appeal to a range
to by the younger The playing of audiences
audience. cards that including families,
Nintendo children and
women.
produced and
started of with.
 Electronic Arts (EA) It’s in the game!

• EA is a international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of

video games
• Founded on May 28th 1982 by a guy called Trip Hawkins in the USA
• EA started of as a home computing games publisher. However in the late
1980’s the company began developing games in-house
• Currently EA has its most popular games are it’s sports genre labelled
under the EA sports label, However EA publishes and develops games in
2.6 million approx 2.106 million approx 31,000 copies sold other genres also such as the examples given, racing and shooting
So far … • Although the games are of a different genre, most of EA’s games are
Need for Speed 2 Medal of Honour targeted at the same target market. This market consists of males
FIFA 11 is
is a racing game aims Wii games to between the ages 12-25. This is because the content mostly appeals to
probably EA’s
which has the a older audience males as they are more associated with cars and football and the army.
most famously
main appeal of of teenage and • EA games are compatible with the main consoles in the industry which
published game.
personal middle aged men. make them more accessible to play for their target market.
This is due to its
customization of This is to do with
huge appeal to • EA had received criticism for developing games that lack innovation.
cars within the the themes of
the football fans They have also been under the light for the way they treat their
game. This violence and war
of the world, employees. Apparently some employees were working up to 100 hours a
appeals to mostly which EA do not
raising awareness week and it was not even crunch time.
males as they are really specialise
of EA as a games
mainly associated that much in. This
publisher. It is one
with driving is the only army EA sports poster
of the biggest
racing cars at this based combat helps promote
sports game
present moment. game that EA the FIFA game
series in the video
Through the publish. through the
games industry.
game, EA is also publisher. Would
promoted. appeal to all the
football fans of
The classic Electronic Arts logo, the FIFA series, to
1982–1999 recognise the
publisher.
 UBISOFT
• The five Guillemot brothers founded Ubisoft as a games publishing
company in 1986 in Brittany, France
• Ubisoft also began developing some of their games in-house after the
early 1990’s
• Now it is a global company with studios in 17 companies and some
additional studios in 28 other countries
• As of 2008, it is the third largest video games publisher in Europe and
fourth largest in America
• As of 2009, it is the fourth largest in the world
The whole Assassins 1.2 million 2.19 million • Their games are compatible with most of the major consoles making
Creed series has sold over them more accessible to their audience as they are not tied to a single
20 million Copies. platform
Rayman is one of Prince of Persia is
The Assassins the oldest games very similar in • Ubisoft specialise in the game genre of action adventure games as shown
Creed series is published by themes and by two of my examples. They even share similar box art, however they
one of Ubisoft’s Ubisoft. The main gameplay to the also publish and develop games with different genres also.
most popular audience for this Assassins Creed
material. Through series. This is • For their speciality genre of action adventure games, ubisoft have a older
game is children
the success of this highlighted by the target market of over 16-18 years of age. This is also relevant to some of
as shown by the
game, Ubisoft has expression of
box art being so their shooting games such as the ‘Brothers in Arms’ series. The content of
received real alike. It also has these games actually appeals mainly to males. For their other games, the
animated
recognition as a the main appeal of target audience is much younger and is usually aimed at children.
characters and
games publisher. the roleplaying
the graphics used feature which is
The main appeal on the cover are Ubisoft promoting their published
complimented by a
of this game is the very stimulating series of the Tom Clancy games through
gripping storyline.
roleplaying with bright a poster. This would appeal to Tom
It represents
feature which is colours which Clancy fans who would probably hang
Ubisoft well
complimented would appeal to through its own this poster on their walls which would
which the children. reputation. make them clear to the concept that
gripping storyline. Ubisoft has published the series.