14 DAY TRIAL // All blockbuster games nowadays have gigantic budgets, worthy of a Hollywood counterpart, but most of it is kept as low-profile information. It's not a secret and it's not hidden in any way, it's more that nobody really wants to share just how much money they spent on making the game if it turns out to be a disaster. But some companies are proud enough and confident in the result of their product that they're willing to brag about the money they've invested in their title. One of these companies is Valve, and their pride and joy is Left 4 Dead 2.
Left 4 Dead turned out to be an amazing zombie survival horror and first-person shooter. The reviews from critics and the response from the gamers were so overwhelmingly positive that it's no wonder Left 4 Dead 2 is already drowning in pre-orders. But Valve isn't ready to settle for anything less than a total victory and plans to promote its game even more.
Valve's vice president of marketing, Doug Lombardi, announced this morning that the game would have a huge publicity budget. "We'll be supporting Left 4 Dead 2's launch with a $25 million campaign. Left 4 Dead 2 has already set the record for greatest number of pre-orders in our company's history, and we're still over a month out from shipping." he said.
With that being said, this doesn't really sound like such a great move on their part. The game has already hit the 300 percent quota in pre-orders compared to the original title, so apparently enough people already know about it. The game is obviously eagerly expected by fans of the first Left 4 Dead and most likely by gamers less familiar with this survival horror. Just how much the publicity can really increase the sales of a game that is already so popular remains to be seen. Most likely, since they've even announced the exact amount they've put into the campaign, this is more of an ego-trip for them than a calculated plan. The game will be launched on November 17.