Halo 4: the campaign (1)

June 2011: the game is announced at E3, with a moving image trailer: Awakening. The trailer is short-listed for 'visual effects' awards, generating more publicity.

January 2012: various companies announce production of Halo action figures and toys.

February 2012 onwards: header and background ads are placed on popular gamers' sites across the internet.

Halo 4: the campaign (2)

April 2012: A web-series, called 'Forward Unto Dawn' is announced (series trailer here). There will be five 15 minute live-action short films released in the weeks leading up to the launch of the game. It is hosted on the dedicated Halo 4 website: Halo Waypoint.

May 2012: an online game to piece together the box art is announced. Watch the video on this page.

September 2012: pre-order sales open on the Halo website and other sites.

Halo 4: the campaign (3)

September 2012: point-of-sale display material is released to shops, including the award-winning Halo countdown unit (can be seen in the launch party video)

September - December 2012: tie-in with pepsi - buy Pepsi or Mountain Dew for the chance to win a copy of the game and other Halo items. There are also tie-ins with Pizza Hut and other companies.

October 2012: The official launch trailer 'Scanned' is premiered on a popular American talk show. The trailer is produced by Hollywood director David Fincher (Fight Club, Benjamin Button, The Social Network).

Halo 4: the campaign (4)

October 2012: a week later the official gameplay trailer is released.

October 31st 2012: the principality of Liechtenstein is transformed into a Halo live action experience for fans and members of the press. The castle is transformed into a military fortification, they build a United Nations Space Camp and there is a 2 hour live-action 'battle' at a nearby quarry. The event generates a lot of press coverage.

Halo 4: the campaign (5)

November 5th 2012: a fifty foot illuminated Didact sign is flown down the River Thames. There is a lot of press coverage.

November 5- 6th 2012: ten thousand shops in forty different countries open for the midnight release of the game. Fans queue. Shops hold launch parties.

November 2012: a smartphone scavenger hunt using 'tap it' or NFC technology runs in Australia.

Halo 4: the campaign (6)

November 6th 2012: the game is released world wide.

November 2012: The Art of Halo 4 (book) is released.

November 9th 2012: live TV adverts show how many people are playing Halo at the time. Players sign up to a 'roll call of honour' on Facebook for the chance to get their face on TV.

December 2012: the free-to-enter Halo 4 'Infinity' tournament opens.

Halo 4: the campaign (7)

December 2012: The first War Game Map Pack (expansion pack) is released.

February 2013: the second Map Pack is released.

April 2013: the third Map Pack is released.

September 2013: 'Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide' (book) published.

The Halo 4 campaign: review

1.Summarise the campaign on a timeline.

2.How long before launch day does the

campaign start?

3.When does the campaign ‘peak’?

4.What do you think were the best aspects of

the campaign?

5.Who would this campaign appeal to?