Lucasarts has annouced The Force Unleashed for a November 2007 release on what looks to be every major platform. You’ll get to play – get this – Vader’s Secret Apprentice. It also promises “multiple endings that will rock Star Wars continuity.” Oh, Lucasfilm.
As has been hinted at, the game is getting the full Shadows of the Empire multimedia treatment, including toys and “a full publishing program from Dark Horse, Del Rey and Palace Press.”
The hype begins with weekly production diaries from Assistant Producer Brett Rector.
It sounds to me like it is getting way more than just SOTE treatment. For SOTE, the game was one of among three cornerstones for the multimedia campaign (game for N64, comics, and novel). The story was told through all three, with different parts being told in each. The focus of SOTE’s other merchandising wasn’t “these are the action figures from this new game” or “this isn’t the soundtrack to this new game”. For SOTE, the game was only part of the story, although it probably ended up being the best selling or most widely seen part.
For this, it sounds like the game is the sole cornerstone and everything else is just game tie-in material. Lit, toys, etc.
The SOTE campaign gave LFL a lot of experience in how to develop a campaign, including lead times for getting different products to market. SOTE’s merchandise was staggered over nearly a year, with the game coming out much later than the novel, comics and assorted other stuff. This of course helped them prepare for the special edition marketing blitzes which in turn served as a dry run for the Episode I campaign.
The Force Unleashed campaign might in turn serve as an example for SW marketing in the post-movie era, as well as to keep SW in the public eye in the lull before the TV shows.
I think you mean…
“Oh, LucasArts”
But it’s a multimedia extravaganza – who to blame? Who wrangles the tie-in tie-ins? Pablo needs to write an entry on that.
My brain hurts. Stupid games.