Many people might be aware of Professor Layton's Twitter account and will undoubtedly remember him for his tease about the "Grand Smash Tournament" and fighting against "a blue robot boy, a possessed doll, and a tiny boxer." His Twitter page would be constantly updated with riddles to solve as he gave more information on the upcoming Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. A lot of people assumed it to be a clever marketing ploy by Nintendo to generate some publicity for the game.

That's actually the furthest thing from the truth. The Twitter account was set up by Roger DiLuigi, a college student and amateur video game journalist who thought he would "take matters into [his] own hands" to promote the game. Crispy Gamer has an interview with him as they detail his time on Twitter and get the full story behind him.

"Frankly ... I'm ashamed. I have made myself a Twitter page and officially joined the world of technology. Perhaps Luke may help me update."

With those words on June 29, 2009, what had been just a fictional character in a Nintendo DS game became a fixture on Twitter. Over the coming days and weeks, the TopHatProfessor account would post dozens of riddles and brainteasers of the type found in 2008's Professor Layton and the Curious Village and the upcoming Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, soliciting answers from his slowly growing cadre of followers. Along the way, the professor happily answered questions about the upcoming title and shared little slices of life from his day, all without ever breaking character.

The Twitter account that took thousands of people on a (quite enjoyable) rideMany followers, this reporter included, were bemused and intrigued by what they assumed was a clever new viral marketing campaign put on by Nintendo ahead of Diabolical Box's August release. In reality, though, the TopHatProfessor account was the work of a lone college student and amateur game journalist, trying to get attention for a game he felt was being sorely neglected by publisher Nintendo and the media at large. The network of followers and related Twitter accounts that TopHatProfessor eventually attracted highlight the evolving effect that social networks are having on game journalism, PR and even fandom itself.

The man in the hat

"I figured that if Nintendo wasn't going to make the U.S. release of the second game known, I was going to take matters into my own hands."

That was all the motivation needed for Roger DiLuigi, the man behind the TopHatProfessor account, to start up what he thought would be a "fun side project." A theater and English major at the University of Illinois, Chicago, DiLuigi definitely had some experience with playing roles. And as a Nintendo-focused journalist for GamingVice and Kombo, he said he was perplexed by Nintendo's relatively lax promotion for the upcoming Layton sequel.

McClubbin via crispygamer.com »