Halo Wars Marketing Strategy Made Simple!

New Halo 3 Map Pack = Carrot.

You = Donkey.

Halo Wars = Final Destination.

Yes, we are all donkeys it seems. Ok, not all of us, only raging Halo 3 fans, and if you haven’t noticed, there are absolutely tons of ’em.

So information has been released that gives details about the upcoming Mythic Map Pack, which adds 3 more multiplayer maps to Halo 3 (posted at the bottom of the article). News worthy for Halo 3 players? “Sure”, I thought. Then I kept reading, and suddenly everything fell into place.

When it comes to baiting potential consumers, Microsoft never ceases to amaze. More, after the jump.

You see, something that has been bothering my craniums’ internals lately is that Halo Wars may prove to be unsuccessful, only for the reason that all hardcore Halo 3 fanatics just happen to also be hardcore FPS shooter fanatics and not necessarily the type of people interested in playing a strategy game (although they do exist). At the same time, many of the people who rush out to buy strategy games (usually on PC) aren’t always the biggest FPS fans, and probably know of Halo only as that popular shooter game on those X-ConsoleStation-Play-Box things.

Now, Microsoft already knew this. Heck, they probably pay a lot of people a lot of money just to make sure that they already know everything. So I wondered how they were going to ensure that all of their huge fan base to part with all their cash.

The answer is pretty simple. First, you tell your fans that you are going to release a new map pack for their favorite online multiplayer game. Then, after just a few moments, make it know to them that if they want the maps, they’ll have to wait until “later this spring” (please note that lack of specifics in that statement).

But wait!

Yes, that’s right Halo fans around the world, if you buy Halo Wars, you will have access to the maps straight away! Don’t get left behind while all your friends play the new maps and call you a “n00b” and have fun and get hot chicks while you sit and play the old maps that everyones bored of!

Honestly, Microsoft should change their name to Honest Joe’s Software Emporium.

In any case, we know that Microsoft pulled a similar stunt with Crackdown and it is apparent that it worked for them then, so they are trying similar tactics again.

What do you think? Is this a fair move on Microsoft’s behalf or do any of you find it a tad bit underhanded? Marketing is marketing after all.

All I know is that Microsoft just secured themselves a huge chunk of sales long before Halo Wars even hit any shelves.

Here’s that information that I promised earlier:

Sandbox — Combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization. Boasting a tiered, open-world layout, “Halo 3″ players will be able to build their own unique game experiences using the Forge map editor. Sandbox is a map unlike any Bungie has ever created.

Assembly — Set in the heart of a Covenant Scarab manufacturing facility. With two identical bases on either side of this medium-sized map, it’s a perfect environment for both Slayer and objective games like Capture the Flag and Assault.

Orbital — A small asymmetrical map, is set in the docking station of the Quito Space Tether. One-sided games like One Flag, and One Bomb are sure to become quick fan-favorites, but the Slayer faithful will also find plenty of action on this battleground.

Last Updated: February 2, 2009