Alan Wake, one of the best new IPs to come out in the past couple of years, has been met with underwhelming sales. Enthusiasts are quick to blame Microsoft and their marketing campaign, but there are doubts if that is the underlying issue. Two campaigns which have captured the Internet’s attention are the billboard ads and the “machinima-esque” webisodes called ‘Bright Falls’.
Now, the billboards were very clever, but region locked. The only reported sightings were in the Toronto area and although the Internet can share, it isn’t the same as seeing one on the street. I would like to think that if these were spread to 5 major U.S. cities, it would have helped to bring in a little more buzz. Especially the giant night light, which was strange enough to draw ones attention during the day and had an awesome visual effect at night. It is a shame that for whatever reason these billboards were not brought stateside. Maybe they didn’t test well, but if that was the case, then there should have been some sort of marquee ads used (billboards, buses, train stations, etc.).
Next you have the mini-series ‘Bright Falls’, a prequel to Alan Wake, which does a good job creating the eerie atmosphere for the town in-game. Not machinima in the traditional sense, as the episodes are all live-action. The set pieces and characters do reprise their role in- game, including Mr. Alan Wake himself. At first, it had a very erratic story arc, revolving around a reporter who arrived in Bright Falls to interview someone and instead experiences a series of haunting events. I watched the series a second time after playing the game, and this allowed me to utilize my knowledge about the fictional universe that is Alan Wake. I almost immediately new what the protagonist was experiencing.
*SPOILERS* The protagonist is being consumed by the darkness over the course of the series and essentially he becomes one of the “Taken”. It is more than just a marketing campaign. The content is actually cannon to the story arc and provides an interesting perspective on what it must be like for the people of Bright Falls.
Combined with some major banner time on numerous gaming sites, it appears that Alan Wake will be achieve acceptable returns. It has combined worldwide sales of over 600,000 at this point, and should reach 1 million by the holiday season. If Microsoft is smart, they will try to bundle it with new 360’s in 2011 and make a cut off the episodic DLC Remedy is releasing. And if they are even smarter, Microsoft will release this on Xbox Live using the Fable 2 model. Play the first episode for free and then $10 for each additional episode. With 5 more disc episodes and 2 DLC, that $70! If you have yet to play Alan Wake, I highly recommend it and my impressions are forth coming. I only hope that the game sales long-term reflect the praise it deserved.
Watch the episodes of Bright Falls yourself, after the jump!
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