Xbox UK - Halo 3 Launch

The Brief

In the trillion dollar interactive entertainment industry, stakes are high and momentum is everything. As 2007 reached its third quarter the console wars were heating up as all 3 platform holders all hit their stride. To capitalise on this early lead and ensure it had strong momentum into the all important Christmas buying period, Xbox had an amazing franchise – Halo 3.

The PR mission was simple: take video gaming into the realms of mainstream entertainment by capturing the attention and imagination of consumers, from casual players to the hardcore audience - and sell millions of games . However, there were a few conditions: Don’t show the game, don’t leak the storyline, don’t count on advertising to help build the hype, and don't deliver anything less than outstanding.
 

Campaign Overview

Utilising the communications strategy employed by blockbuster movie launches, JCPR Edelman developed a six month campaign that built awareness from the gaming hardcore to the mass mainstream. Tactics included:

• Set visit style junkets to the Bungie development house
• Direct comparisons to the mainstream entertainment industry by comparing revenues generated by Halo 3 vs. blockbuster movies which highlight the scale of the franchise  
• A red carpet premiere complete with A-list celebrity talent
   

Results

The UK campaign achieved media coverage that reached a potential audience in excess of 1.2 billion people worldwide and helped achieve Global day one sales of US$170 million. Halo 3 was bigger than any movie launch in history and even surpassed the revenue generated by the record-breaking Harry Potter book launch.

The campaign was a blockbuster success in generating mass mainstream coverage, and has become a benchmark within the industry for how AAA video games should be launched.