At video game launches, guests often include industry experts well-versed in the hottest developments in technology—not to mention avid, hard-to-please gamers—which can make planning that type of event a particularly daunting task. Whether the goal is to impress tech-savvy crowds with awe-inspiring special effects or offer something a little quirky to stand out among the dozens of parties surrounding annual events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo or Comic-Con International, here's a peek at some of the industry’s most creative launches.
For the 2013 unveiling of Disney Infinity, which features characters from Disney and Pixar together for the first time, the Disney Interactive special events team hinted at the game’s mash-up quality by grouping characters from each franchise on a balcony at Los Angeles’s El Capitan theater.
For the March 9 launch of Yoshi’s New Island game at West Hollywood’s Quixote Studios, Nintendo created a life-size version of the game’s Mega Eggdozers, which players use to smash through walls in the game. Guests helped create the Eggdozer’s distinctive green spots by lobbing paint-filled balloons at the giant egg.
Nintendo drew attention to the launch of its Nintendo 3DS title by tapping young Hollywood to attend and enlisting the help of stars like Bella Thorne to decorate the Eggdozer. The brand captured celebrity guests like Garrett Clayton (pictured) testing out the game as they hung out in branded lounge areas.
On April 9, mobile game developer King built a pop-up in a New York pedestrian plaza to herald the launch of Farm Heroes Saga. Playing up the farming motif of the new title, the activation invited visitors to pot plants and create terrariums and awarded seed packets to those who scored the highest at a gaming station.
Working with Zed Ink, the brand gave guests at South by Southwest’s Microsoft Studio the opportunity to test Titanfall at stations festooned with foliage.
A giant mechanical titan model sat outside the Microsoft Studio.
The brand tapped Ethos Design to create a Times Square-inspired entrance at the Ubisoft booth at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, where attendees could test out new 2014 and 2015 titles.
Decor inspired by the setting of the new Far Cry 4 game dominated a V.I.P. room at the expo.
Since Sega’s Aliens: Colonial Marines video game is set in the world of the Alien films, Sequence Events included original memorabilia from the franchise in a case wrapped in caution tape at the October 2012 launch at 404 in New York.
In another nod to the Alien-inspired game, decor around the buffet station included specimen jars that held the film's facehugger creatures.
Sequence Events designed the space at 404 to look like a science laboratory complete with microscopes and scientific sketches on whiteboards.
Waitstaff contributed to the look and feel of a science laboratory by donning white lab coats and serving guests signature cocktails in beakers. Signage on the bar's façade was a nod to fictional Weyland-Yutani corporation from the film franchise.
Nintendo engaged guests at the October 2012 launch of its Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 launch at New York’s S.I.R. Stage37 with a number of Pokémon-theme activities, including a dance competition.
Guests had the opportunity to play the new games at stations stocked with Nintendo's portable video game systems.
Rock band Fight Dragons performed in front of a branded backdrop for the crowd of gamers.
Disney Interactive went with a unique venue choice for the 2010 announcement of its Split/Second game, opting to host the event at its San Francisco-based ABC affiliate TV station—a fitting choice given the fact that players participate in a fictional reality show. Press could conduct interviews in the control room, where organizers took advantage of monitors for unique branding opportunities.
The Disney Interactive special events team decorated the studio to look like a war room—a nod to the game’s fictional TV network war room—complete with a model of a power plant that appears in the game.
During the event, a film screen lifted to reveal a stage stocked with ready-to-use consoles, as well as Monsters University, The Incredibles, and Pirates of the Caribbean pieces.
Actors dressed as pirates helped bring the world of Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag to life at an event held in conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con 2013.
The Ubisoft team decorated the vessel with replicas of weapons used during the golden age of piracy, and brought Weapon Masters host Mike Loades aboard to discuss the combat style used during the period.
The lower deck of the ship featured a single-player demo walkthrough, while the mid-deck treated guests to a multiplayer demo session.
Organizers transformed the Star of India—the world’s oldest active sailing ship—into the game’s Jackdaw pirate ship.
During E3 2013, Alienware stood out among the expo's many satellite events by taking the launch of its gaming laptops to a secret warehouse location in downtown Los Angeles.
The brand tapped the Projects to create the "Museum of Alienware," which highlighted the company's history.
A custom performance by a trio of iLuminate dancers in bespoke LED suits evoked the laptops' LED panels.
