It might’ve been easy to miss Until Dawn – Sony didn’t exactly market it much when it hit in late August. It turns out that it’s doing a lot better than anyone (including Sony!) expected.
Talking to Eurogamer, Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida explained a bit about the lack of a marketing push and fan response.
“Because of the focus on this Christmas time-frame, to really support the big third-party titles like Destiny… they didn’t see the need to push Until Dawn that much from the marketing standpoint. I think everybody was caught by surprise by the positive reaction.” In other words, it sounds like they sent it to die. But still, they know a hit when they see one.
“We’re super happy about the reactions from people, especially people who are streaming or posting videos on YouTube,” Yoshida said. “We can say it’s a sleeper hit. Once it’s recognized, originating with consumers, the marketing department can continue to support the title through Christmas with some creative ideas.”
The genre, Yoshida says, has a bright future. “We’re a big fan of this genre. These games can talk to a broader audience. You don’t have to be good at playing games. You can even just watch your friend play the game.”
I think he’s right – we’re in a really great time for television shows where people are binge watching incredible TV shows constantly. If they’ll sit and watch a great show for four or five hours at a stretch, why not a game like this?
I ended up loving Until Dawn despite being terrified of slasher movies – check out my review. I was disappointed to see Sony not give it the same marketing push that their other exclusives get, but now that they see the promise, maybe there’s still a future for it.
This is just part of a much broader interview that talks about The Last of Us’ potential for a sequel, Sony’s quiet fall lineup, and the future of Driveclub. Check out the source link below for the full interview.
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