RIFT China – Publisher spends silly money on NBA spokesperson
While it is definitely none of my business caring about how much money is spent on marketing by MMO publishers, but I am still in awe of how Shanda Games, publisher of RIFT China, has reportedly spent an 8-figure sum (in USD) to hire NBA star Dwyane Wade as the spokesperson.
The deal will certainly garner eyeballs and raise the profile of RIFT in the world’s biggest online gaming market, but why a NBA star? Are they targeting just NBA fans? Does Dwyane Wade even have time to play MMORPGs?
Rivals such as Tencent Games are doing tie-ups with related movies, while ChangYou focus on local megastars who can actually sing and cosplay for the games. See the disparity in connecting with the general public?
I must admit, I am slightly disgusted by the way marketing dollars are spent. While RIFT China is confirmed as a P2P title, better ones such as Blade & Soul and Guild Wars2 are set for release this year. I am skeptical about RIFT’s chances of survival 12 months from launch, but of course, I will be happy to be proved wrong.
About the Author
cinderboy Your average online gamer who is bilingual in Chinese and English, although he does try to play Japanese and Korean games sometimes. Might be a hypocrite or has a short fuse, but like every gamer, he is just human and is soft on the inside. Really.
Related Posts
Trion Worlds – Former executive comments on new round of layoffs →
RIFT – North America server goes totally Free-to-Play in June →
RIFT China – Local media reports game now struggling for players →
Dragon Nest 2 – CEO confirms sequel in early development stage →
13 Responses to RIFT China – Publisher spends silly money on NBA spokesperson
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I imagine they are hiring him to do other things, and while he is there, he is pitching in on this game … a million dollars is a large chunk of the total revenue of even successful mmos, there is simply no possibility whatsoever that he came to this sum of money exclusively for work with Rift.
china way to say “we lovree merica, we be merica to, america can play game to”
Pingback: RIFT China - Dwyane Wade promo trailer - Rift Nerd
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade as spokesperson - IT Lounge
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade as spokespersonPlayFTW | Play For The Win | PlayFTW | Play For The Win
Pingback: Technable | Making you Technically Able
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade as spokesperson | News
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade as spokesperson | The Game Path
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade as spokesperson » Toys to Games
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade as spokesperson | Beauty Game Obsession
Pingback: RIFT China – Dwyane Wade promo trailer | RiftScene
Pingback: RIFT China – American Idol alumni revealed as final spokesperson - MMOPOOL.COM
Pingback: RIFT China publisher hires Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade as spokesperson | Web To Blog