Xbox & Fall Out Boy - "How to make friends but not sell Lips to people"

OXCGN describes a recent Microsoft event before having some harsh words to say about Microsoft's marketing campaigns writing:

"But in what increasingly appears to be a Microsoft problem at large, they don't seem to know how to promote anything other than first person shooters and franchise blockbusters.

It seems, to me at least, an endemic problem. Games outside of those traditional genres continually underwhelm in terms of sales, and whilst I'm sure some would argue that that's simply a result of less popular genres or franchises, I'm more inclined to argue Microsoft doesn't know how to market them effectively."

[Superfragilistic]

I rarely publish/comment on this site much more... but this hit a nerve.

I actually really dig Rare's games, Banjo was awesome, and I'm pissed with Microsoft for not pushing such titles harder.

[darkmurder]

I Love Rare to death, although theyre not as good as they once were they still pump out quality titles and have only been getting better lately imo.

[Superfragilistic]

Yeah I reckon Banjo's the best stuff they've done since Perfect Dark on 64.

[kevnb]

they put out two games that were pretty much hd versions of unreleased gamecube games and viva pinata and folks were saying the lost it. They still are just as good as they ever were, Im hoping for a new beat 'em up ala battletoads from them.

[Superfragilistic]

I think the problem with Rare is not that the brothers left, it's that they don't have a brand like Nintendo that has a more relevant market for its games and knows how to market them to casuals (along with people who don't feel sexually insecure playing with teddy bears and pinatas).

Btw a Battletoads release, even an HD version of the original on XBLA with online co-op would be awesome! :D

[OSIRUSSS]

Is fallout boy some Bethesda developer?

[Gun_Senshi]

need to be shot and removed from the planet.

Lame emo music, that technically is not music FTL

[XboxOZ360]

Actually, it wasn't that bad, not being a music buff, but I could "understand" the music and lyrics . . and wasn't the usual stupid rap-crap stuff that just about every artist pushes these days.

[gaminoz]

"This is the part where I get all emo with Microsoft…"

Yeah MS is trying to be cool instead of sell their 360 games or something it sounds like.

Great read! Not swimming with the sharks was a good move I think...

[XboxOZ360]

Yes, I can say looking over he side and into that cool cool inviting water was VERY tempting indeed - UNTIL you realized that a 2 .5 meter Bull Shark just chomped off the arm and leg of a professional naval diver the week before in the SAME location . . has you step back from the side very ver quickly.

[paul-p1988]

i would say they are trying to be cool with Fallout boy, but fallout boy are the definition of the most uncool band in history. They have terrible music, even worse hairstyles, and seem to think they are brilliant.... its no suprise that emos wanna cut themselves when they listen to stuff like that...

[gaminoz]

Concert on a navy boat....did they get any hung over stowaways that they promptly pressed into service? Maybe the bands?

[XboxOZ360]

They did give away a nice cap and some sunscreen, 30 mins before the event finished. Seems they got that a bit mixed up, it should have been within the first 30 mins of the event, not the last. . funny that.

[XboxOZ360]

One thing MS does is spend money. And it supports it's 3rd and 2nd party developers and publishers well.

It runs and has events for the different games and makes sure ppl in the general public know about its games.

What it doesn't do is understand much about how or why it needs to do it and how to best do it.

While we were there, barely 20 ppl played with or looked at the Xbox 360 marque with 4 xbox 360's set up for Lips, GH:WT, Arcade games and Scene It. There were NO reps in there pushing the product, no one pushing the GH franchise Activision were so hoping MS would by being involved.

And no showing of anyone remotely interested in the games whatsoever.

But money it did spend, and lots of it. If you think an event of t his scale is cheap, then you need to go back to school and re-do economics or simply learn some basic costs of promotion and advertising.

If there was change from $AU250k then I'd be very very surprised indeed. In fact, I'd hazzard to say it was in excess of that to use the HMAS Tobruk as well as the navy's facilities, buses, kitchen staff, security etc etc.

I've had the pleasure of attending several MS events, and yes, they really DO want to help and to be part of it all. And I applaude them for that. Because no other gaming medium is doing that for their userbase - at all.

However, having said that, they need to be more in contact with that userbase on various levels, rather than one level suits all. If that makes sense

[jmoneezie]

Blah blah blah f**kin' blah!

[caffman]

because you didn't get to go!

[ZEEBO4LIFESTFU]

Ms. From one of your fanboys. Fallout boy sucks.

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

Fall Out Boy and InnerPartysystem??? Seriously!??!

Lucky Aussiess haha :D

I'm jealous that you guys got those two bands, then again, I can wait until Warped if they're there..Or Bamboozle, whichever of the two.

And yes, this lack of advertisement for Banjo sucked. It was really such a good series, however they should have stayed with the original formula of platforming rather than vehicles.

[Cryxbotcry]

This is a band is on a Xbot's list of greatest bands of all time along with other greats like the Jonas Brothers,panic at the disco and The naked brothers band.

[XboxOZ360]

I think YOUR avatar suits YOU very much mate .. .!!

[caffman]

and on the other you have Sony sacrificing goats. But which is more evil?

[mc]

fallout boy loves sucking microsofts corporate d1ck. why does everyone accept such commercialization and sell out conformity from rock these days?

[McSavage]

thats really unfortunate. That almost makes me want to buy a PS3 if they are getting Fallout Boy to market for them.. ugh. it will set the 13 year old emo's off though.