Square Enix's enthusiasts inspire buzz
When Square Enix was preparing the launch of the latest title in its Dragon Quest series -- an extremely popular franchise that had previously sold more than 40 million copies worldwide -- the video game developer / publisher / distributor was anxious to dramatically increase its North American presence.
Square Enix launched an online, enthusiast-driven, branded social networking community called "Slime Knights," where like-minded gamers could share their passion for the Dragon Quest franchise and chatter about the pending release.
The program aimed to educate members about the game, let fans create content that demonstrated their passion, give members a forum to share personal experiences and promote the game in the months prior to its release.
The Slime Knights grew to 14,000 members and generated more than 143,000 WOM recommendations by members-- and the game sold 500,000 copies in the United States. By providing a place where the game's enthusiasts could engage about it honestly with peers who share their passion, the program was able to generate the kind of buzz that contaminates other potential enthusiasts.
Credit Information
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Client: Square Enix
Agency: Affinitive
Budget: Undisclosed
Date of campaign: Ongoing
Case study URL: http://www.beaffinitive.com/clients/casestudy_dqviii.html
Excerpted from WOMMA's Case Studies Library.
