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Sony: Better ICO Box Art Would Have Boosted Sales

September 18, 2009 in News comments 9

Sony Japan's Studio VP, Yasuhide Kobayashi, recently discussed the difference between Japanese and American advertising, why American marketing sometimes doesn't work, and why he believes ICO would have sold better in the West if it had had better box art.

At DICE Summit Asia, Sony Japan Studio VP Yasuhide Kobayashi gave a speech about appealing to a global audience with games, which he identified as increasingly important as the Japanese market contracts. He mentioned The Last Guardian, which was given that particular title to appeal to Western markets.

As an example of Western-focused marketing that didn't work, Kobayashi presented the Japanese and North American boxes for ICO, the game that brought the Last Guardian developers to prominence. "If the packaging was designed differently, we think it would have sold more," he said. "In fact on the internet many people have said that the Japanese version was better." Because it is.
Miss Razz via joystiq.com »
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  • 0
    Shuyu Sep 18, 09
    I remember the first time I saw the NA boxart for ICO. I remember, because I was retching rather heavily, before running to the safety of the JP/EU cover.
  • 0
    FinalFantasyFanaticc Sep 18, 09
    Yes...because it's the BOX ART that makes people buy the game...Not the gameplay =|
    • 0
      Slumpy monkey Sep 18, 09
      Its pretty much true actually. Because they wont know the gameplay without buying the game first and a crappy box art will sway them into not buying the game and buying a more popular game.
      • 0
        Miss Razz Sep 18, 09
        If a game has pretty box art, I'd be more inclined to pick it up and have a read of what it's about. I might not take a gamble and spend $50+ on a game I've never heard of, but other people might. Especially if they aren't up with gaming news and are just lookin gfor something fun to pass the time.
    • 0
      TheFogIsRising Sep 18, 09
      Ummm.... yeah, it is. You don't see a crappy box art example (other than XI) from a Final Fantasy game, do you? Exactly! If the boxart had been the JP one here in the States, I would have probably bought this the first time.
    • 1
      Ameer Sep 18, 09
      Box art is a big seller for most games. Most gamers don't follow news from the industry, so they make a lot of purchases based on spot inspection.
  • 3
    ryu750 Sep 18, 09
    box art is very important. When I'm walking through the used section of games i will completely ignore a game that has crappy box art. Sometime not ALWAYS crappy box art = Crappy game. If they don't invest time into the cover they probably did not invest time into the game
  • 1
    Wolfwood Sep 18, 09
    I think the simple fact of the matter is that ICO's North American box art was... uninspiring to say the least. Hey look, it's an angry looking kid with a two-by-four! And Yorda is in the background for some reason. Plus a windmill.
  • 1
    Dine_Agoti Sep 18, 09
    I hate when box art is supposedly "Americanized," it just makes it look boring and all around ugly. Personally, I think they insult our intelligence when they change the box art from something artsy and creative like the original ICO art into something like the crap that it was turned into.

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