Chris Tucker, Magic Johnson....and Lightning

Final Fantasy XIII will be the main sponsor of this year's NBA All-Star Celebrity game (trying saying that three times fast)

Quote:

New York, NY - February 10, 2010 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Square Enix Inc. (Square Enix) today announced a promotional partnership that will make FINAL FANTASY® XIII – the latest in the world-renowned action-packed role-playing videogame series that has shipped more than 92 million units – the presenting partner of the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

As the presenting partner of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, FINAL FANTASY XIII will have prominent exposure throughout Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, where the game will be played. The role-playing videogame, which features futuristic characters and gameplay, will receive significant presence during the broadcast on ESPN, which will televise the NBA All-Star event for the sixth consecutive year. There will also be a dedicated FINAL FANTASY XIII area at NBA All-Star Jam Session where fans will be able to preview the videogame, which will be available for both PlayStation®3 and the Xbox 360® on March 9, 2010.

“FINAL FANTASY XIII ,the next evolution in videogame entertainment, will appeal to first time players and series fans alike,” said John Yamamoto, President and CEO of Square Enix, Inc., “We are delighted to be the presenting partner at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and give fans a chance to experience the most highly anticipated game of the year before it launches on March 9.”

“FINAL FANTASY is a storied brand in the videogame category and this partnership will bring an exciting new element to this year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President of Marketing Partnerships. “A good portion of our fanbase overlaps with the young, videogame-playing audience, so it is a natural fit for us to partner with a leading franchise like FINAL FANTASY around one of our marquee All-Star events.”

The 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by FINAL FANTASY XIII will tip off on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. EST/ 6:00 p.m. CST from NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas inside the Dallas Convention Center. This year’s celebrity participants will include a cast of players from film, TV, and music who will be outfitted in retro 1986 NBA All-Star uniforms paying tribute to NBA All-Star 1986 in Dallas. The game will also feature former NBA players and current WNBA players.

FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated franchise, bringing the series to multiple high-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every installment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.

Hopefully we'll see some new commercials/footage.

I wonder if the dedicated area in the Jam Session will include a playable demo, or just videos/trailers. Either way, nice to see SE make some marketing attempt and appeal to a broader audience. Maybe it will work since this is not your typical RPG.

Also, for those living in the UK, SE is launching a massive marketing campaign, featuring advertising during football (soccer) matches:

Quote:

Millions of pounds will be spent on the marketing campaign for Final Fantasy XIII, MCV understands.

The publisher plans to make the game’s launch “a true event” with a heavyweight TV campaign that will kick off on March 1st and run through Easter and into April, including spots during football matches.

“We aim to make Final Fantasy XIII not only the biggest game release, but one of the biggest entertainment releases of Q1,” said UK product manager Grant Tasker.
Square Enix has also arranged its biggest ever investment in video-on-demand media, and expects its national bus-side advertising to reach an estimated 75 per cent of the UK’s population.

Final Fantasy XIII will hit 360 and PS3 on March 9th.

Source

Oh god, I hope they aren't playing commercials with My Hands as the music.

Last time SE decided to advertise heavily for a game it was for X-2. Not only did those adds make me want to never play the game, I felt they did damage to the FF brand name as a whole.

Nice! it's gfood to see they're marketing this game heavily, maybe it'll breathe some new life into the series. This one is going to be huge. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeloZer0

Oh god, I hope they aren't playing commercials with My Hands as the music.

Last time SE decided to advertise heavily for a game it was for X-2. Not only did those adds make me want to never play the game, I felt they did damage to the FF brand name as a whole.

Nah, I remember watching Comedy Central and seeing FFXII ads every other break.

I think I had mostly given up on TV by then. Were the adds good or did they make the series look like something for super nerds?

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeloZer0

Last time SE decided to advertise heavily for a game it was for X-2.

...what? I saw commercials for X-2 maybe three times. I saw commercials for VIII, IX, and XII almost every commercial break on MTV/Comedy Central/Spike TV.

That being said, I've never felt any FF games got the amount of advertising they should have. It's going to be interesting to see FFXIII with an ad campaign on par with that of a new Halo, or at least close. :)

They don't bother advertising here. It's disappointing :(