ASSASSIN’S CREED III

• Assassin's Creed III • 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft

Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. – several platforms to open up possibilities for a wide audience

• It is the fifth major instalment in the Assassin's Creed series, and a direct sequel to 2011's Assassin's Creed: Revelations – therefore has ready audience

• Tony Key, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Ubisoft felt the Colonial American setting would widen the appeal of the game to a “mainstream audience as the American Revolution was a key historical event worldwide." said Key. He added, “Assassin's Creed III is the perfect game for players who have not tried the brand before to jump into the franchise."

Narrative - The plot is set in a fictional history of real world events and follows the centuries old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles who relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse (post-modern shades of the Terminator film series). The story is set in the 18th century, before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783, and follows Desmond's half-English, half-Mohawk ancestor, Ratonhnhaké:ton also known as Connor (another Terminator reference), as he fights the Templars' attempts to gain control of the colonies.

• Open world - video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how or when to approach objectives.

• Third-person perspective with a primary focus on using

Desmond and Connor's combat and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment: 18th-centry Boston, New York, the American frontier and portions of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea can be explored via the flagship of the Assassin's navy, the Aquila, captained by Connor himself to complete side missions away from the primary storyline – variety of possibilities for the game’s narrative and a nod to the popular Pirates of the Caribbean movie series.

• The game also features a multiplayer component, allowing players to compete online to complete solo and team based objectives including assassinations and evading pursuers – variety of possibilities.

• Several modifications from previous version added to the

audience appeal e.g. new weather simulations and the seasons can also change - which not only effect visuals but also gameplay, as snowfall can reduce visibility for the player and enemies, aiding stealth.

• Variety of narrative possibilities to increase appeal – for example, the player can upgrade the Homestead manor or Connor's ship and enlist citizens to the Assassins' cause by completing "Liberation" missions. They also have a much larger skill set and there are side missions include investigating frontiersman rumours about UFOs and Sasquatch - enigmatic scenarios to hook gamers.

• High level of skill and commitment - Using Connor's warship, the player can navigate the high seas. Control of the ship relies on environmental factors such as wind direction and speed, local presence of storms, high waves, and rocks.

• Multiplayer possibilities - a co-operative mode named Wolfpack, in which 1–4 players are charged with killing certain NPCs within a time limit, through a sequence of 25 stages. It also features Domination, a team mode where players will have to capture certain areas of the map, protecting them from the opposing team.

• Incentive to buy other versions - The Wii U version of the game has extra features. The player has the ability to change weapons on the go and the map is always visible on the Wii U Gamepad.

• Origins – long term plans to hook potential customers.• Work on Assassin's Creed III began in January 2010 (almost

immediately after the release of Assassin's Creed II). • In October 2011, Ubisoft announced that the next

instalment of the franchise was to be released before December 2012.

• In February 2012, Ubisoft officially confirmed the existence

of Assassin's Creed III, and its North American release date of October 30, 2012.

The Release Campaign 1

The Release Campaign 2• Various official ‘leaks’ to tease the audience:• e.g. Late February 2012 - Ubisoft -"a major

announcement from Assassin's Creed" was "only days away" via the series' official Facebook. The page's cover photo also depicted a snowy and bleak setting.

• Furthermore, Game Informer, the monthly video game magazine, confirmed this via an advertising banner posted on its site with images of the new assassin standing next to American revolutionary leader George Washington.

The Release Campaign 3

• Building up suspense - The company said it will announce "all the details" at 5pm on March 5.Additionally, Game Informer revealed its latest cover feature which includes more artwork of the game's new main character. On March 2, several screenshots were leaked ahead of Ubisoft's official reveal, and the first gameplay details emerged via Game Informer.

The Release Campaign 4

• Cinematic trailer on March 5, 2012. • • Hyperbole: Ubisoft described the game as the "most

ambitious" project in the company's history, with twice the production capacity of any previous title from the publisher.

• Music - The score to Assassin's Creed III was composed by Scottish composer Lorne Balfe.

• • The soundtrack was released via digital download on

October 30, 2012.

The Release Campaign 5Release date(s)Why stagger the release?

PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360NA October 30, 2012

EU October 31, 2012AU October 31, 2012Wii UNA November 18, 2012EU November 30, 2012AU November 30, 2012Microsoft WindowsNA November 20, 2012AU November 22, 2012EU November 23, 2012

Marketing initiatives 1

• Ubisoft's senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tony Key, said the game would enjoy the biggest marketing commitment in company history. Assassin's Creed: Double Pack was released both as a retail purchase for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and for download on PSN, which brings together the first Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II in a virtual compilation box.

Marketing initiatives 2

• Pre-order bonuses• Ubisoft has collaborated with several retail outlets on pre-

order bonuses available through several store chains throughout the world. Which pre-order bonuses the player received depended upon where they pre-ordered the game. A free SteelBook collectible featuring artwork by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross is available as a pre-order incentive.

• • The "Captain of the Aquila" DLC pack includes a single player

weapon (The Pirate Boarding Axe) and a single player skin (The Captain of the Aquila's uniform).

Marketing initiatives 3

• Ubisoft Australia put together a "very special, very limited" edition of Assassin’s Creed III to auction off in benefit of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation. There are only ten of these editions in the world, and eight of them will be auctioned off to raise money for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick. Each will be auctioned separately between November 30, 2012 and December 17 – charitable, bur also great publicity in local and national Australian media.

Marketing initiatives 4• Releasing various retail editions is another way to

increase profits and capitalise on the potential market e.g.

• The Freedom Edition features a retail copy of the game, a steelbook case with cover art drawn by comic artist Alex Ross, George Washington's notebook, a 24 cm figurine of the protagonist Connor and two exclusive lithographs. In-game content included is two exclusive single player missions (Ghost of War and Lost Mayan Ruins) and an additional multiplayer character (Sharpshooter).

Marketing initiatives 5• On October 3, 2012 Ubisoft officially revealed a

Season Pass for downloadable content (DLC), made available for a six-month time period on PlayStation Network and on Xbox Live. The pass gives purchasers access to the three King Washington DLC packs, The Hidden Secrets pack with all the preorder, retailer exclusive, bonus material, and The Battle Hardened pack, featuring new maps and characters for multiplayer. Furthermore, players with the pass will have access to DLC a week before other gamers.

Success• On March 30, 2012 - In the three weeks since the game's pre-order

campaign began, numbers had already surpassed the total U.S. pre-order numbers of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and exceeded 10 x more than the pre-orders Assassin's Creed: Revelations attracted in a comparable time frame.

• On October 25, 2012 - the most pre-ordered game in the company's history, more than doubling pre-orders for Revelations, the previous record holder. Of course, this publicity itself, encouraged people to order the game!

• Assassin's Creed III was the best selling game in the United Kingdom in

the week of its release, with the best sales of the series to date. It was the biggest launch in publisher Ubisoft's history and the third biggest launch of any game in the UK in 2012. It doubled the launch week sales of Assassin's Creed II, and beat 2011'sRevelations by over 117,000 copies.