work

PROJECT:

3DS GAMING SYSTEM

PARTNER:

GSP

CHALLENGE:

Releasing highly-anticipated new video game systems is like unveiling new cars—it's done under a shroud of secrecy. Witness the Nintendo 3DS, the first portable device with 3-D graphics and augmented reality to provide a richer playing experience. Sounds great, right? When it came to marketing the release, however, a particular challenge existed. Or rather, didn't exist. Secrecy was so tight there wasn't much imagery. Nintendo was concerned about leaking photos that might pre-empt the campaign, which called for print ads depicting gleeful gamers playing specific games on their new 3DS. The only digital assets were from the games themselves and heavily pixilated. There were precious few visuals and multiple vendors were clamoring for them, plus we were up against the long lead time of national print magazines.

SOLUTION:

Pacific Digital began collaborating closely with the client and creative agency Goodby to create assets on the fly. First, we repurposed the pixilated game shots into hi-res images. Then we went on set where new photography was being shot. Because deadlines were so tight, there was little time to concept. So we built the visuals—and, literally the ads—as we went. Pacific Digital controlled the layouts, creating the gaming scenes and dropping the players in. We rendered, retouched, composited and assembled all imagery. Predictably, creative changed at the 11th hour. Then the tsunami hit Japan, where Nintendo is based. Suddenly client approval felt like an afterthought.

RESULT:

The 3DS successfully ushered in a new era of handheld gaming. It sold extremely well. The ads looked great and all deadlines were met. For Pacific Digital, we broke new ground in our role as an agency and client partner. The speed and agility needed to produce, control and execute visuals in multiple formats, not to mention overseeing the unsettled layouts, were critical to the launch campaign. That pressure brought out our best performance.

SERVICES:

– Retouching