Microsoft Admits Marketing is Hard

Or, at least, Microsoft says it hardly has to work selling hard-core shooters, but casual games are hard to market. Not surprising given you've built up a huge audience for your games targeted at teen boys of all ages, and you have yet to make much of an impression on the rest of the world. Yes, and all those other potential customers don't read enthusiast magazines or web sites. Looks like you'll have to do some basic spadework at building an audience, or better still, a fan base in other areas.

I sometimes wonder if a lot of the problem the game industry has in reaching non-core markets is because most of the game developers are into the hard-core games and have nothing but disdain for more casually oriented titles. This contempt makes it harder for them to conceptualize and successfully execute titles for other markets. The marketers have some of the same problems... those that are gamers. Of course, the big companies often hire marketers who come from P&G or other consumer-oriented companies, and they don't have familiarity with any games at all. A different set of problems for them...