Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

Marketing is still one area bio really struggles with. Though I suspect this is also because of production problems. I really like what other companies have started to do, wait until six months or so before release to announce and start marketing a game.

For DA4 I would like the marketing to start in preproduction. I don't want to wait until six months before it releases in 2040 for it to be officially announced and get more info.

I don’t. I like following with them along the journey of development like they used to. For example with BioWare I liked DAIs marketing a lot more than MEAs.

They don't have to show features that might not make it into the final game. They haven't released much so far, so there is a lot they could do for a short teaser.

That's kind of a double edged sword, though. While it might show people they're still around and working on stuff, too many teasers for too long with too little substance like story jump-off point, companions, mechanics etc. will get people pissed. There's only so much teasing you can take before you get tired of it. MEA's shallow marketing comes to mind and I have to admit, it got old with the "trust us, this will be great, we can't show anything now, just trust us". Even if it all turned out amazing, there was too little substance in what they showed.

It's a hard thing, balancing teasing and showing some actual meat - tease too much, people get tired of waiting; show too much, people get pissed if it's not delivered in the exact state you presented it. You can't really win, only minimize the negative feedback. 

I personally enjoyed DA2’s promotions and marketing the best. I liked the follow a bit of preproduction. The Dev Diaries were always interesting and the art was amazing. The intro to Hawke is something that I can still remember watching for the first time and going “wooooah,” and feeling the hype and something to chew on while waiting for that upcoming spring.
Ah, nostalgia.

I personally think something on DAO’s 10th anniversary is a great opportunity for...SOMETHING. I’d love to see some concept art. Maybe another World of Thedas volume announcement. Anything new really, I’ll take at this point.

That's been my preference as well. 
- Long enough to generate hype, but short enough so we don't suffer from hype fatigue.
- The closer to launch before you start showing off gameplay, the less chance you have of showing off gameplay/features/graphics/quests/etc. that won't make into the final game.
- And with a shorter marketing run-up, the less chance of showing off too much of the game.

DA:I's long run-up had all those problems. Because once you rouse the sleeping fandom, it wants to be fed - constantly. 

I'm one of those who never saw the demo before I played DAI.

Yeah. The only time I ever had a problem with DAI’s run up was when they left revealing Josephine for last.

Granted I suppose my willingness to wait is tied to how likely I am to get the game...as in there is a 99% likelihood i am pre ordering the thing at the first opportunity. For those more on the fence and have more questions, they probably want answers.