Gaming Gurus Monday, August 31, 2009 Xbox had a lot to unveil at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year—new game titles, its Project Natal wireless control technology, and the debut of the much-anticipated Beatles Rock Band game. Microsoft wanted to make a huge splash when debuting these killer offerings to the media and general public, and the creative crew at Zed Ink made sure it did just that. A huge media event (which featured appearances by the surviving members of The Beatles and Steven Speilberg) and offshoot parties in downtown L.A. made sure Xbox was the buzz of an event that’s always been all about buzz. How’d they do it? Zed Ink’s executive producer/head of production Marc Buchan, executive creative director Julia Zarro, and creative director Erin Hearne walked us through the process of bringing Xbox to life at the biggest video game show on Earth. Xbox Media Event. The goal for the show was less about selling the games and more about selling the Xbox 360 platform as an entertainment experience for everyone. The press event at the start of E3 presented an opportunity for Xbox and Zed Ink to make their presence known in a big way. “We wanted to take the normal corporate vision of what a keynote is and make it an entertainment experience in and of itself, as well as being able to have the show be broadcast to millions of viewers across the world,” Zarro says. The event itself was designed for a business/media audience, as well as consumers checking out the live broadcast. “We wanted to make it a more entertainment-based event. We were going to show this year and not tell,” Hearne says. The program featured lots of on-stage gaming demos and a full roster of high-profile guest speakers. Zed wanted to create a multi-stage environment that paced the show by seamlessly transitioning from stage to stage. The set design was inspired by Xbox’s inter-connected circles logo, and the stage was built off of that graphic image. As the multiple stage areas evolved, it was clear a backdrop would be needed for each. Large-scale, high-resolution LED panels allowed the Zed Ink team to bring the games and system to life. This created forums where designers could change and customize the appearance of the stage. “We created an environment where we could shift the look and feel throughout the entire briefing,” Zarro says, drawing the whole audience’s attention to one side of the set while prepping the next demo on the other side of the setup. There were special challenges for the debut of Project Natal, Xbox’s new controller-free, gesture-based gaming technology. The technology had never been demonstrated in a live environment before and the press event was the first time it would be shown to the world. “As we got closer and found out more about the demos we were going to be doing, we found it necessary to modify the stages so people experienced a lot more movement than originally planned,” Hearne says. Standard Hotel VIP Event. After the media unveiling, the Zed Ink team transformed the Standard Hotel downtown into an all-Xbox affair for VIPs and members of the media, with gaming lounges, demo zones, and a Beatles Rock Band performance stage up on the rooftop bar. “We wanted to make sure that key press people had a very guided experience,” Hearne says. Press groups were sent through the demo zones in 15-minute increments to keep traffic flowing, then they went up to the rooftop for cocktails, a peek at the Beatles game, and one-on-one time with developers. The brand’s iconic circles logo carried over to the décor and graphics at all Xbox E3 events. “We knew the challenges with the venue going in; there’s one single freight elevator, which is passenger sized, so we had to load in overnight in small batches,” Buchan says. Event Deck Party for Forza Motorsport. This Xbox car racing title had a super-secret unveiling party on top of a parking structure next to the convention center. The game was launched during the media briefing, and the client wanted car enthusiasts to come out and experience the new Forza Motorsport title for themselves. Tricked-out cars lined the venue footprint, along with plenty of demo stations, while a dj spun tunes for the audience. “It was very functional and cool, and at the same time got everybody’s hands on the game,” Zarro says. Once the hectic week at E3 was over, the Zed team had time to reflect on what they’d accomplished. “The design process here is a lot of fun, but that moment when you’re in the environment and you see the stars of the show, and once it all becomes cohesive visually and from a design standpoint, it’s a great moment,” Hearne says.
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