Dead Island: Riptide Digital Strategy Map.” 2013 MMA Smarties Submission Mobile Website

Dead Island: Riptide MMA CASE STUDY Digital Strategy Map Campaign Summary Online and console gaming are more popular than outdoor activities with today’s younger generation. As the gaming landscape continues to change, so do the strategies players use to conquer the game. Deep Silver/Square Enix’s new game, Dead Island: Riptide, brought a new set of tools to the user’s experience to make the action even more engaging. With user attention span declining, the brand added a curated strategy map to draw users deeper into the game. Strategy and Execution With dozens of game titles for the PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo, Deep Silver/Square Enix is no stranger to the gaming world. In fact, it’s one of the best in the business. Its new title, Dead Island: Riptide, scored big after the company decided to add another dimension to the game. The brand developed an innovative, crowd-sourced map and strategy guide that used a second screen to enhance and expand upon the world of the game. Prior to the Dead Island: Riptide digital map, strategy guides typically took the form of text-based online walkthroughs created by fans. The Dead Island: Riptide map created an engaging, easy-to-navigate, updatable platform where fans interacted and shared helpful game tips. Access to the map was available for free to fans who purchased the special edition of the game or for a small fee to those who didn’t. As a cooperative title, Dead Island: Riptide allowed teams of four players from around the globe to play the game together. The digital map was an opportunity to take this sense of cooperation and community into the larger gaming world. By allowing users to add information to the digital map, the brand gave players a reason to purchase and remain invested in the game while building a community that lasted long after the final collectible had been tagged. The map went beyond the in-game maps to show hidden extras, like collectibles and side quests. In the conception stage, the company determined the map would have a greater impact if users were allowed to generate their own content. Once the direction of the project had been determined, the next phase was to design the user experience. The interface needed to be expansive enough to accommodate comments from players but streamlined enough so the view wasn’t too chaotic. The solution was to create a highly customizable system of flags that users dropped on the game map. After dropping a flag, users typed in critical information with a screen shot. The flags were then categorized and sorted based on a number of criteria. All flags and activity were instantaneously shared on Facebook, creating valuable viral opportunities for promoting the app and, ultimately, the game. Results The digital strategy map created big buzz among the gaming press, helping Dead Island: Riptide debut at No. 1 on the Xbox 360, with first-week sales of over 235,000. The app itself was a success story, with more than 50,000 registered users signed up to use the site and add content. Deep Silver/Square Enix was thrilled with the success of the program and plans to incorporate digital strategy guides into future releases. Source “Dead Island: Riptide Digital Strategy Map.” 2013 MMA Smarties Submission Mobile Website. Brand: Deep Silver/ Square Enix. Lead Agency: Midnight Oil Creative 2 Dead Island: Riptide Digital Strategy Map.

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