With the rising recognition of cell gaming it’s no shock that you simply’ll discover firms in probably the most surprising of locations integrating them into their promotional methods. Other than main heavyweights in foods and drinks corresponding to Fanta, plainly even theme park operators are getting in on the cell gaming craze.
Katmandu: Ethermerge is a straightforward match-2 title being produced by Falcon’s Past and developed in collaboration with Epic Story Interactive. Falcon’s Past are the corporate who run a lot of parks and sights together with the 2 of the titular Katmandu parks, one in Spain, opened in 2007, and one within the Dominican Republic which opened earlier this yr. And who’ve pursued this newest surge of multimedia promotional methods.
As a part of the promotional technique for his or her model, Falcon’s Past has pursued not solely a Roblox expertise, an e-commerce retailer and an animated sequence, however now additionally a cell sport.
So what does a comparatively innocuous match-2 merge add to extra conventional strategies of promotion? We discover out extra concerning the method and rationale behind their cell title from the president of digital media at Falcon’s Past, Jason Ambler.
PocketGamer.biz: Are you able to inform us about what you’re doing? It’s a bit uncommon to make use of a cell sport to advertise a theme park.
Jason Ambler: We’re definitely persevering with to advertise our Katmandu Parks by means of numerous types of promoting and social media activation; nevertheless, we consider that Katmandu has the potential to be a a lot bigger shopper model than what has now been established and well-received on the parks themselves.
We view our cell video games much less as a promotional device, and extra as an necessary platform extension of our Katmandu model.
Jason Ambler
Our entrance into the world of cell gaming with Katmandu: EtherMerge helps our 360-degree enlargement technique for the Katmandu franchise, activating the model concurrently throughout all types of leisure, together with media content material, video video games, shopper merchandise, and, in fact, the themed leisure locations themselves.
In essence, we view our cell video games much less as a promotional device, and extra as an necessary platform extension of our Katmandu model; one that permits us to have interaction with our viewers in new and significant methods.
Merge video games are a comparatively in style style, however why go for this style over others?
We selected to make our cell sport debut with a merge-2 sport, as a result of its extensive worldwide enchantment and informal nature of gameplay. As a well-known and accessible style, we will welcome current followers of Katmandu, in addition to introduce the model to new audiences.
We noticed nice worth in a sport that gamers may choose up and put down and slot in inside their every day lives and different actions. What’s nice about this format is that Katmandu Park company can play our Katmandu: EtherMerge cell sport whereas ready within the queue line at considered one of our sights and even proceed their relationship with the model as soon as they return at residence.
Why did you select to work with Epic Story Interactive on this title?
We had beforehand introduced our alliance with Epic Story Media to assist early Katmandu franchise growth and enlargement throughout media content material, video games, and shopper merchandise. Via that alliance, the Epic crew has gained intimate information of our Katmandu model, lore, and aspirations, which is why it made sense for us to collaborate with their sport studio, Epic Story Interactive (ESI).
Not solely did Epic’s tradition, course of, and methodology intently align with our personal, however additionally they have intensive information and experience in growing and publishing cell and on-line video games for beloved kids’s manufacturers corresponding to Slugterra, Ben 10 and Beyblade. Whereas ESI has notably robust expertise in Match-3 type video games, EtherMerge was their first foray into making a merge-2 sport, so all of the gameplay and mechanics needed to be developed from the bottom up.
Who is that this title aimed in the direction of by way of age, employment, gender and different demographics?
One of many essential causes we selected to debut with a Merge-2 type sport is its worldwide enchantment to a really extensive demographic with a really excessive age ceiling, each female and male, very like our Katmandu Park locations. Contemplating the already broad attain and recognition of merge video games and the inclusive nature of the Katmandu model, we see Katmandu: EtherMerge as a sport for nearly anybody.
Do you’ve plans for any extra cell video games sooner or later? Are you able to inform us what they’ll be like?
Falcon’s is barely simply starting to grasp its ambitions in cell gaming, and gaming generally. We’re not solely additional model extension for Katmandu on this house, but in addition introducing some thrilling new manufacturers and franchises we’ve in growth, in addition to new experiences with our licensed associate manufacturers. We might be exploring new sport types, codecs, genres, and goal audiences and are wanting ahead to sharing extra updates on these plans sooner or later.
Do you’re feeling cell gaming is a vital a part of promotional methods throughout many industries, together with theme parks?
Completely. Increasing our manufacturers throughout a number of channels on the similar time is core to our technique, and what we consider that audiences are craving. Customers and followers need to join with their favourite characters, tales and types throughout any variety of platforms together with shopper merchandise, brick-and-mortar leisure locations, media content material, and even, dare we are saying, the metaverse. We now have to be in every single place that they’re.
With cell gaming being the biggest and fastest-growing section of the biggest class of the leisure trade, it’s definitely an enormous a part of our imaginative and prescient at Falcon’s Past as a diversified know-how, leisure, and media enterprise.
