Let's Talk About Marketing - Videos

Is it just me or is the last thing the singer says 'Who needs the light; Fear not this night?' I got goosebumps from this. I love it!

There's very little to say beyond what an excellent job the team did with the trailer. It's vast improvement on the ep1 one and many of the others.

I didn't watch the friendship vid since I'm personally not interested in that side of the campaign (that's a not a dig, it genuinely holds no interest to me personally)

This trailer is, IMO, the single best LS Episode trailer released to date by a huge margin. As I was involved with/paying attention to the earlier thread seeking feedback about ANET's marketing strategy, I can really see that y'all considered a lot of the items that were discussed. The main points:

1. The trailer isn't just some confusing teaser image with some disjointed audio clips, it gives a coherent message about what to expect without giving too much away - this means it actually gives people something to be excited about AND stuff for us to puzzle over and discuss what we think will happen. ALSO it means players who aren't caught up or new folks who are looking into the game can get a little understanding rather than being chased away by the feeling of it being too hard to understand where we are currently - 5/5
2. The intro's of who's who. See the 2nd point above, it also has a little hint of the humor we like to see without being overbearing or trying to hard. Well done - 5/5
3. THE LIST OF WHAT'S COMING WITH THE PATCH!!!!! Yes, this is exactly what we wanted. It's cool to get teasers for things, but the list of what's new is fantastic for selling to potential players, as they can now see a concrete list of just how much material is added at each release. AS A SIDE NOTE HERE - for marketing purposes, I still think y'all should put up a list of all the individual things that have been added at each release so when a prospective player clicks on your ads they see how much content y'all add on a consistent basis (e.g. new map, new fractal, new raid, etc etc) - 7/5
4. No kitschy player comments as taglines (AAAAHHHHHHH). While that stuff is great meme fodder, it doesn't make for a very convincing marketing strategy due to the way it came off. 'Real Customer Feedback' is great to have available, but no customer trusts it when its put in front of them since they instinctively know that they are being presented with a curated list - 5/5
5. The cover/callback to fear not this night. It's a beautiful song in the first place, the cover is great on its own (I hope to see a full length version available to listen to), that one line-change makes all the difference, and fits the theme SO well. Congrats to the team that had that idea and implemented it, that was excellent - 5/5
6. The painting at the end. No spoilers to anyone who hasn't seen it, just kudos - 5/5

Notes that don't warrant a rating but might also be nice for next time.It's hard to tell if the map is all inside an Inquest base (I doubt it, but not much else is shown), maybe a quick view of a cool vista over the map?BIG ONE: The list was fantastic, but a great opportunity to show something of each item would have added a lot to that. You listed 'Mastery, Map, Legendary Dagger, and Story' and only the Dagger and the Story had anything really related to them shown. A comment for the next one; maybe consider breaking that list apart and showing a quick thing from each after showing each point in the list like you did for the dagger (ex. Mastery - show clip of mastery in action, Map - show clip of cool vista point or something, Legendary Dagger - no change, this was perfect, and Story - then show the story excerpts that were seen in the video but otherwise no change here needed).

All in all, this is an amazing trailer and it really heartens us to see that y'all took the feedback from the earlier threads and did something fantastic with it. I am more excited for this episode than I think I have been for any to date, and I blame this trailer.

Lw trailer is fine and the friendship ones are ok. But new players and retur ing dont only care about lighthearted stuff. Show more of the dedicated communities of the game. High end fractal guilds, wvw, raid guilds. Showcase partners and content creators From the more dedicated parts of the game as well.

@UnbentMars.9126 said:This trailer is, IMO, the single best LS Episode trailer released to date by a huge margin.

Just want to say i agree with this sentiment, however i'd like to offer a place to improve on.

When you showcased the new Legendary, it was on an Asura (nothing against them personally) but due to the much smaller model size it really doesn't help showcase the weapon. Perhaps a Norn or raid size human model would do better next time.

I adore the new trailer, whilst I feel the Borderlands-y was perhaps a little too cheesy and didn't really fit with the themes of LWS4, the second half of the trailer more than makes up for it, I love the darker themes and feel as if this should be implemented more, with the Awakened and the threat they pose, I can't think of a better time to lean more toward the darker themes.

There's certainly plenty to anaylse and take from just over 2 minutes of video though at the same time, perhaps it's just me or the week delay, but perhaps there could have been a little more in the way of Awakened? But that's more of a personal thing than anything, I'm sure there will be plenty of Awakened action in the episode regardless! I thought the small part at the end when Joko shifts his gaze toward the center was amazing, I noticed it the first time watching and had to skip back just to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me - glad they wasn't!

Oh! I'm looking forward to exploring the new map, too and I'm hoping there will be a lot of content to get stuck into, I found the Great Hall and Palawadan events got a little too samey, too quick for me so I'm skeptical over that!

I feel like I could be more excited for it but that's not to say I'm not because overall, I'm looking forward to it!

This trailer shows much more improvement than the previous one on so many levels. The soundtrack fits so well with the cinematography and the ambience even throughout the transition from mission impossible to evil and creepy like feel.

I haven't seen such an epic trailer for anything in years, I didn't anticipate this would be one hell of an epic trailer!

PS - Please release the awesome song

@"Mike Silbowitz.1827"

Can I claim ownership for the listing idea? ;) I'm joking, dw! I love the step in the right direction, and I know most of my ideas were too short-notice to add to this release! I'd just like to echo the bits above. I felt as if this trailer was a tiny bit too cheesy in content, but the second half was snazzy!

Because I've thrown criticism at you for the past 2 months, criticise me!

Have fun! ;D

I haven't watched the Friendship video yet, but I have to say that the trailer is one of the best (if not THE best) trailer I've seen for anything in the game.

One thing to consider, when listing new patch features you can try skipping the list but showing short clip of what's coming with descritpion. You did it with dagger this time and I think it may look cool if you do this with every thing from the list.

• new map! - cool shot of the new map, panorama or "crane" camera flying over a monument from the new map
• new mastery! - show this mastery (unless it's a spoiler)etc.

Also, please, share us full version of fear not this night you recorded for this trailer. It's amazing!

Goose Pimples.. confirmed!

This trailers composition was very well thought outThe cheery entrance with the happy robotic asuran announcer even in the lab areas things were clean, light colorful, The introduction to the characters was bold but not overly so.Mid way through the transition from cheery to eerie was pulled off flawless due to the the change in music as well as lots of dark colors. Not to mention the remastered fear not this night with a few new lyrics was a great touch. Rather than hopeful its some what of the oppositeIts almost like the song of some one who looks to save by killing rather than providing safety and comfort which kind of fits joko perfectly considering that he turns people into awakened.

A very strong finish to the trailer also helped sell it this was by far one of the best if not the best trailer thats been done for a living story chapter. IT was not dull and makes me look forward to actually hopping into the story as soon as it releases rather than putting it off for a while like I usually would do.

Now i dont think every trailer should flow from cheery to eerie but its nice to see that you guys pulled this off so darn well.

PSWHEN CAN WE EXPECT THE FULL VERSION OF THAT REMASTERED FEAR NOT THIS NIGHT!?!?! WE WANT IT.... WE NEED IT :dizzy:

I really like the video! It's the best trailer you put out yet because you can see what you're gonna release and what you have been working on. Sure, it could use some more information or video footage of more content like the new mastery or a glimps of the new map (like a panorama) but it's a good start.

This trailer is much better than any one before because we can link it to our friends and they see what the update is about, they see the content and ingame footage and thus maybe get interested in the game which is important.

However, the bit "childish" introduction of the characters isn't my taste but that's just my opinion. I really like the new cover of fear not this night as well and the spooky atmosphere the trailer gives us at the end.

Anet, you all SLAYED it with the new LWS4 trailer! That new rendition of the Fear Not This Night was amazing! Is the voice actor for the male asura the one we have to thank for that singing, hmmm? Nonetheless, amazing job on that trailer, I'm so hyped for the next chapter!

i love it all. the only thing i have to say is the "character portrait" things are just a tad bit cheesy. but the rest is so amazing. cant wait for the sixth!

@KronosBaelfire.6289 said:Anet, you all SLAYED it with the new LWS4 trailer! That new rendition of the Fear Not This Night was amazing! Is the voice actor for the male asura the one we have to thank for that singing, hmmm? Nonetheless, amazing job on that trailer, I'm so hyped for the next chapter!

Actually if you've missed it: it was Maclaine Diemer- Anet's composer that sang this.

@Arden.7480 said:

@KronosBaelfire.6289 said:Anet, you all SLAYED it with the new LWS4 trailer! That new rendition of the Fear Not This Night was amazing! Is the voice actor for the male asura the one we have to thank for that singing, hmmm? Nonetheless, amazing job on that trailer, I'm so hyped for the next chapter!

I knew it! He sounds like The Minstrel!

I absolutely loved the video Mike and I have absolutely no doubt it is because you made the call to confer with us. Thank you very much and I hope you and the rest of the marketing team enjoy the well earned praise from all your great efforts.

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:One thing to consider, when listing new patch features you can try skipping the list but showing short clip of what's coming with descritpion. You did it with dagger this time and I think it may look cool if you do this with every thing from the list.

• new map! - cool shot of the new map, panorama or "crane" camera flying over a monument from the new map
• new mastery! - show this mastery (unless it's a spoiler)etc.

Also, please, share us full version of fear not this night you recorded for this trailer. It's amazing!

Pref a few frames for each would be good. For example a panorama of the map as the m8 here suggested while having on the screen "explore [map's name]"

Also a line for the mastery complimentend by footage of a character using said mastery.

Enjoyed the distinct change of feeling from the first half to the second. The second half... loved the music, and the mood it created along with the visuals.

Excellent video!

However the title of the episode, while amusing, is just asking for trolling... baring a perfect release (has that ever happened anywhere?) it's just asking for ridicule from those that can't help themselves....

I hope all goes well with the release, but Murhpy's always waiting in the wings. Best luck!

I really enjoyed the humor in the first half of the trailer. The entire trailer was great but I personally think that your storytelling is stongest when your humor is thrown in.

The characters seem to have better chemistry when you present them in a fun way in my opinion.

I thought the Bug in the system video was better than past video's in its length and direction but for me it kinda fell at the 3rd hurdle due to a couple of camera zoom ins that showed just how bad some textures are in this game, making the game look very old. If I had been a watching this video as a potential new player seeing those textures I would have stopped watching right there.

The friendship video was far better, good job on that.

The Trailer:Excellent work, both in the communication with the player base and with the actual execution. I liked the humorous character introductions, and I'm happy I weren't the only one to feel goosebumps with the second part. This is the first time I don't only want to play the next episode, but actually want to see the NEXT TRAILER. Loved everything.

Give me a day to cool down a little the hype reaction so I can make reasonable constructive criticism. For now, just congrats, you did it!

The Friendship Video:Too much sugar for me, specially in the second part... but the message IS strong and emotive. It gets the feels. All the gameplay footage WAS AMAZING: so fun and original and creative. It shows how much you can do in the game with your friends, or with just casual pugs! You should try to reflect this part more on the "outside" of the video, so people prone to avoid sentimental stuff (like me) wouldn't skip these videos just out of prejudice. The "Friend/Ship" name, also used during February... I feel it was specially discouraging for some public. (I'm sure you were targeting other people, but still...).