Halo 3 About to Take Over your Television

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 21, 2007 - 4:28am.

Coming into the final weekend of the nationwide Halo 3 countdown, we’re about to see a whole lot of ads for the video game phenomenon leading up to the September 25th launch. Microsoft will spend more than $10 million in TV ad spots, and has co-produced original programs targeted at both hardcore gamers and those interested in becoming one. The largest marketing push takes place on SpikeTV, the SciFi Channel, and Comedy Central, with the game and the Xbox 360 console dominating the programming. We can only keep our fingers crossed that Microsoft has bought up enough spots on other networks to remove any signs of John Cougar Mellencamp’s Our Country Chevy ads, which seem to have dominated weekend sports programming for the last decade.

For the efforts with SpikeTV, the SciFi Channel, and Comedy Central, the marketing will be more intense, says Xbox director of product marketing Chris Di Cesare. “They’re all ‘Halo’ nights,” he said. “We’re just magnifying the mania.”

The first of the original programs to be aired is Fully Loaded on Saturday, a group of 2-minute clips hosted by Bobby Lee of MadTV. The clips were filmed at a Halo 3 party at Las Vegas’s Venetian Hotel. The celeb-filled event was timed for MTV’s Video Music Awards.

SpikeTV’s videogame show Game Head will feature a live feed from Best Buy’s flagship NYC store, which is hosting a Halo 3 launch party. G4 will also cover the launch with a 5-hour live feed.

On Tuesday, launch day, the SciFi Channel will debut Halo 3: Sci vs. Fi, a 30-minute show dissecting the creation of the game.

"All of the networks reach a bit of a different audience than the gaming-enthusiast websites," said Di Cesare. "You are reaching a broader audience because it's broadcast."

Video game analysts have long predicted that the Halo 3 launch will surpass the $125 million that Halo 2 earned on its first day. Some believe $200 million is possible.

The 2004 marketing effort for Halo 2 was more minimal, with Microsoft limiting it to an MTV special. This time they’re avoiding the network altogether, as the company believes the “M for Mature” rating and 18-24-year-old male demographic target will not find much traction with MTV’s young female dominated audience.