C ASE S TUDY D ANIEL S ECAREANU

Agenda Introduction Market Context Project Overview Branding Positioning Impact

Ubisoft – more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry Focused on strong brands, in-house development and a global distribution network New creations = success & long term growth Assassin’s Creed – more than 2.5 mil units sold worldwide in the first month What drove Assassin’s Creed success? Introduction

Market Context – high growth year for gaming industry DFC identifies four high flyers: Activision, GameStop, Nintendo and Ubisoft Console market split among Sony PlayStation3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii; Games market proving successful for both epic, as well as casual games Sequels or already established titles dominate

Project Overview Assassin’s Creed – next-get game redefining the action/adventure genre Merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a unique and innovative world Inspired by historical events and played having social rules in mind Assassin’s Creed – the right ingredients to create a top quality product

Branding Assassin’s Creed – a new intellectual property title AC brought gaming to the next level through its unprecedented freedom of action and highly realistic environments AC made the promises of a compelling story and an innovative gaming experience and delivered on them Storyline – framework for future sequels Assassin’s Creed – easily memorable brand name Experience the power of the Assassin… Nothing is true, everything is permitted…

Positioning Assassin’s Creed – new next-gen IP that redefines the action/adventure genre through an innovative gaming experience Experience the power of the Assassin – emotional experience Nothing is true, everything is permitted – power through freedom Next-gen game on next-gen platforms

Communication 4 years of continuous small reveals and well kept secrets building expectations and hype Pre-launch and post-launch mechanics Not just telling or showing, but involving the community (game play footage, community generated content, hands on events) Pretty girls can sell anything

Impact Assassins’ Creed won more than five industry awards in 2006 New IP actually worked Generating hype worked as well High quality graphics also worked Innovative environment, story and controls worked Company brand and marketing budget helped all these work Assassin’s Creed sold 2.5 mil units in the first four weeks, surpassing all expectations