Beyond a concert series (which, let's be honest, is out of scope even for popular AAA games), vinyl is also a "thing". When executed well, it's a great physical reminder of the game experience. There are even dedicated vinyl labels who specialize in game music! (Iam8Bit, Laced, Mondo, etc.)

ConcernedApe first released the music in 2016, so he was able to gauge interest in the music over the last few years. It was a safe bet that people would pay to listen to a symphony play it, as last year's concert series sold out!

Not every IP can do this. To start, your game probably needs to be a "hit". However, even great games fail to understand the commercial potential for their soundtracks. Is your music available outside of your game? Are people talking about it? Are people streaming it?

To conclude, I often see discourse that "bad marketing" is the culprit for lacklaster Wii U sales. I think we can agree that the product itself fell short of expectations, and there simply wasn't a large software catalog to support it at launch. Remember the 3DS was very successful for Nintendo!

I've had a hard time finding the campaigns I worked on during this era, (as is often the case, the backing music used in commercials is on a limited license so it can't live online forever) but you'll no doubt remember this gem! Notice anyone familiar? www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3c_...

Despite some recently discovered flaws in the battery lifespan for the gamepad, the console is seing a second-life with collectors, where some games are fetching SEGA Saturn level prices. (eek!)

The one thing I remembered from those years was, "it's the software that sells the hardware". We did underperform in sales volume, but no one can deny some great games and peripheals that came out then. Amiibo in particular is the only surviving toys-to-life accessory from that era!

Honestly, it would probably be a four-way tie between pac-man, tetris, life is strange, or Mario Party 8.

This is helpful, thanks Eric! It also made me realize how many publishers are not yet on Bluesky. Also, popular figures in games like Phil Spencer or even Ubisoft's account appear to be run by teenagers who....have used it to share lewd content. It's the wild west out here!

Nice to meet you, Laura! I love D2 and always looking for non-toxic people to play and learn from. If you DM me your bungie name, maybe we can try Vesper's Dungeon sometime!

👋 Name: Spencer Colvin
🎮 Game/Studio: (Looking for work!)
💻 Specific Craft: Brand Dev, Loyalty/Rewards
🕹️ Favorite Games: Destiny 2, Rocket League, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
🌐 www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlc...
🐈 Hobbies: Skateboarding, collecting old games, learning languages, thrifting, listening to music