The Ultimate Guide to Game Trailer Awards to Boost Your Brand

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Various game trailer awards have been established over the years to recognize the hard work and creativity of those who produce game trailers. These gaming awards celebrate the unsung heroes of the gaming world, who often go unrecognized despite their significant contributions.

Game trailer award shows have become an essential part of the video game awards circuit, and winning one can make a difference in the success of a game. In this ultimate guide, Animost will explore the world of game trailer awards and shed light on their impact on the gaming industry.

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What Value Can Game Trailers Bring To The Table?

Game trailers are an essential component of gaming marketing and are often compared to gaming ads in terms of their impact on generating interest and excitement.

Video game trailers offer a visual and auditory glimpse into the world of a game, showcasing the gameplay mechanics, graphics, and storyline. They are a powerful tool for capturing the attention of gamers and enticing them to purchase a game.

Effective game trailers can generate significant buzz for an upcoming release, leading to increased pre-orders, day-one sales, and positive reviews. Furthermore, game trailers can help establish a brand identity for a game or developer, making it easier for them to build a loyal fan base.

In short, game trailers can bring significant value to the table in gaming marketing, driving sales and building a strong community around a game.

The Different Types of Game Trailer Awards

Game trailer awards come in many categories, each recognizing different aspects of video game trailers. Some of the most common game trailer award categories include:

Best Cinematic Trailer
Best Gameplay Trailer
Best Teaser Trailer
Best Sound Design in a Trailer

Winning any of these awards can significantly boost a brand’s reputation and increase the visibility of their game. For example, winning the Best Gaming Trailer 2022 award can establish a game as a must-play title and generate a huge amount of buzz among gamers.

Similarly, winning an award for Best Video Game Ad Campaign can help establish a brand identity and make it easier for a developer to build a loyal fan base.

Aside from the prestige of winning a game trailer award, there are practical benefits. Winning an award can increase media coverage and social media buzz.

It can result in more sales and downloads. It can also help a game or developer stand out in a crowded marketplace, increasing their chances of success.

Additionally, game trailer awards can provide valuable feedback to developers, helping them identify areas for improvement and refine their marketing strategies.

The Development Process of the Game Trailer Award Campaign

Creating a successful game trailer award campaign requires careful planning and execution. To begin, developers must identify key features and elements of their game that will appeal to their target audience.

This includes understanding the game’s mechanics, graphics, storyline, and overall aesthetic. Once these elements are identified, the development team can brainstorm ideas for the trailer, considering the best ways to showcase the game’s unique features.

The next step in making a great game trailer award campaign is to create a storyboard or script that outlines the visual and auditory elements of the trailer.

It includes selecting the most impactful scenes and gameplay moments to feature and choosing the right music and sound effects to create a powerful emotional impact. The trailer should be edited to create a cohesive narrative and builds excitement for the game’s release.

In addition to creating an effective gaming video ad campaign, it’s critical to consider how the trailer will be promoted and distributed. It includes identifying the best platforms to showcase the trailer, such as social media, gaming websites, and online video platforms like YouTube and Twitch.

Developers should also consider using influencers or partnering with other brands to increase trailer visibility and reach a wider audience.

Finally, developers should monitor the response to the trailer and adjust their strategy as needed. It includes analyzing the engagement metrics, such as views, likes, and shares, and identifying areas for improvement.

By taking a data-driven approach, developers can refine their game trailer award campaign and maximize its impact on the target audience.

Examples Of Successful Video Gaming Award Campaigns

Here are some examples of successful video gaming award campaigns and their impact on the industry:

Elden Ring – One of the most successful video games campaigns 2022

Elden Ring is a well-known game of the year as a result of the cooperation between the Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin and Japanese RPG developer FromSoftware. In February 2022, a gloomy fantasy role-playing game was released.

At first, the creators only debuted a single announcement trailer. And it even contained no real gameplay. Since gaming companies issue at least two trailers, this is an uncommon practice. The following videos came after a considerable delay.

Elden Ring won the Most Anticipated Game award at the 2020 Game Awards. It was because of the audience’s increased anticipation as a result of the postponement.

Elden Ring’s creator, FromSoftware, is renowned for having a knack for telling deep tales. When each trailer debuted, they used their storytelling method to create anticipation.

Each one elaborated on scenes from the actual game and even revealed major spoilers without providing any context—a great tactic!

The publisher of the computer game, Bandai Namco, estimated that at least 4 million copies would be sold before April. By the end of March 2022, 13.4 million copies had been sold, though.

Elden Ring became the fastest-selling Bandai Namco game and one of the most popular titles across some markets!

The target market was excited by Elden Ring, and the game’s creators never referred to it as “the greatest one you’ll ever play.” Instead, they highlighted the critics’ evaluations. The rest of all, word-of-mouth and marketing were made simple by the group.

Most significantly, the first trailer piqued interest and got people excited for the game’s release.

Top 10 Gaming Ads Of All Time

Here are the top 10 gaming ads of all time:

Halo 3: “Believe”

One of the best video game advertisements ever didn’t contain any pre-rendered cinematics or gameplay. There wasn’t much moving at all.

This Halo 3 commercial, titled “Believe,” pans across a miniatures display as terrified UNSC soldiers watch their doom as a huge swarm of Covenant surrounds them. The Master Chief is being held by their leader on top of a hill, who believes the Spartan has been vanquished.

However, the plasma grenade in the Master Chief’s hand indicates that this fight has just begun.

Gears Of War: “Mad World”

Microsoft had another fantastic shooter franchise to keep players satisfied before Halo 3 launched on Xbox 360, and its trailer has remained with us for more than 16 years.

The Mad World trailer for Gears of War depicts a grim picture of an Earth-like Sera with much of the continent destroyed as the Locust horde and mankind carry on their destructive conflict.

The music, a cover that first appeared in Donnie Darko, does make the game seem a little more reserved than it was, but the image of chopping an enemy in half with a chainsaw gun still makes us think of this trailer.

Assassin’s Creed: “Teardrop”

Before the Assassin’s Creed series’ transformation into an action RPG with enormous battles, it was a social stealth game that emphasized quick, efficient kills and silent escapes.

Altair can be seen running along rooftops in this original game ad, which is set to Massive Attack’s Teardrop, before taking the infamous “leap of faith.” Just as the scene comes to a close, he falls behind a Templar target and extends his concealed blade.

It’s the ideal start to what would go on to become one of the most popular video game franchises ever, and it certainly changes our opinions of a tune that served as the House theme.

Super Smash Bros.: Live-Action Battle

Although many “worlds colliding” combat games are available today, Super Smash Bros. introduced the idea to the Nintendo 64 in 1999.

Because nobody anticipated our beloved Nintendo characters to switch from frolicking through a meadow to beating each other senseless, that is what made this live-action commercial for the game so fantastic.

The ad is enhanced by the music and Pikachu being whirled around by Donkey Kong as if he were about to throw him 400 feet. A few seconds later, Yoshi’s hammer finished off Donkey Kong.

Wii Would Like To Play

Just consider how quickly we all came to recognize the Switch’s distinguishing click as being uniquely Nintendo. Nintendo certainly knows how to build a new brand.

However, a decade previously, a commercial that contained only the phrase “Wii would like to play” may have been even more effective.

It’s a straightforward advertisement with two suit-clad men, showing a family opening the door and being invited to play Wii. Inviting strangers into your house isn’t generally advised, but when they have the latest Nintendo console and the games to go with it.

It’s probably fine. The two men remain busy, introducing the Wii to many other people and ushering in one of Nintendo’s finest eras.

Genesis Does What Nintendon’t

Sega would not have been able to create this commercial if Nintendo had called itself virtually anything else, but at the time, it was accurate: Genesis Does What Nintendon’t. The well-known advertisement featured singers reminding us that Genesis titles couldn’t be played on a Nintendo system.

Column Selection: A Excellent Value Tetris—and Buster Douglas’ boxing game may not have been the best option, but the truth remained that Genesis had a whole bunch of games that the NES and SNES didn’t have. You didn’t want to fall behind in this scheme for cool kids with attitude.

Ice Hockey By Activision

Because there was no structure or expectation for what the commercial should be, the early video game advertisements were frequently some of the best.

In the case of this classic commercial for Ice Hockey on Atari 2600, watching future SNL all-timer—the late Phil Hartman—go bananas over footage of the game on a little CRT display was the ideal way to sell the game.

To make sure you never forget the name of the game, it is even screamed with a spine-tingling shriek after the advertisement.

Kingdom Hearts: “Simple And Clean”

Today, the phrase “Kingdom Hearts” conjures up images of one of the most convoluted video game stories ever, involving about a dozen different titles. However, this commercial from 2002 exposed many of us to Sora’s tale of the universes colliding.

The montage of various Disney characters, which included the now-famous “Simple and Clean” music, immediately caught viewers’ attention. The narrator states, “You never know who you’ll cross paths with next. The rest is history, which is very complex.

Pitfall: Jack Black Commercial

Which Jack Black performance do you prefer? Music school? Perhaps High Fidelity? True devotees are aware that a young Jack Black appeared in an advertisement for the iconic Atari game Pitfall before he became famous.

Black speaks in the ad before anything else (or anyone else) and describes being in a perilous jungle with the hero Pitfall Harry. He’s donning a safari hat that appears to have been worn by the other competitors as well.

Pitfall Harry is mentioned as being attractive by one female, which is a little strange for a pixelated character without a face, but the novelty of seeing Jack Black before he became famous is enough for him to be included.

Goat Simulator 3 Announcement Trailer

One of the more recent video game ads caught our attention because it seemed to be for a completely different game.

The Goat Simulator 3 announcement video, which parodies the Dead Island 2 trailer from a few years ago at first obscures the fact that it’s for Goat Simulator 3.

In reality, given the absence of Goat Simulator 2, who would have suspected that? It’s a masterful piece of bait-and-switch deception that blends seamlessly with the show’s silly, anything-goes tone, and it’s very entertaining to see how other people respond to it for the first time.

Conclusion

If you are looking to boost your brand and increase the visibility of your video game, participating in game trailer awards can be an excellent strategy.

The ultimate guide to game trailer awards provided a comprehensive overview of the different awards available, along with tips and best practices for creating award-winning trailers.

By crafting an engaging and captivating trailer, you can generate excitement among gamers, attract new audiences, and establish a strong presence in the gaming industry.

Furthermore, winning a game trailer award can help increase your credibility and reputation, setting you apart from competitors. With the knowledge and resources provided in this guide, you can confidently create a game trailer that will help take your brand to the next level.

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