Nostalgia Marketing: A problem for new audiences?

 

Tweet by @ACLetsTalk (June 3) - click here for tweet.

If it's not evident yet, I'm an avid Assassin's Creed fan and highly anticipating the upcoming title, Assassin's Creed Mirage releasing October 12 2023. Nevertheless, I stumbled across an interesting tweet on Twitter by an Assassin's Creed fan page (@ACLetsTalk) which made an interesting comment about the controversial nature of Mirage's marketing campaign. 

Despite marketing for the game was practically non-existent for eight months since its announcement in early September 2022, many of us thought the game was a...mirage. Anyways, the direction taken to market the game is a return to form, classic Assassin's Creed game in terms of the level design, and narrative structure. Something long awaited given the past two and arguably three games lacking core components of Assassin's Creed games (THE ASSASSIN'S - crazy right?). However, if the marketing direction is employed to resonate with fans of the original 2007 Assassin's Creed game, the nostalgia and references may be inaccessible to newer audiences which diminishes its value and purpose.

Promotional message on the assassincreed.com website.

On the assassinscreed.com website, the developers at Ubisoft do acknowledge that they are providing a modern take on the classic elements of the Assassin's Creed franchise, to ultimately make it accessible for newer players. But since the game isn't out yet, there is a strong reliance on ensuring this is communicated through the game's marketing and promotional content. And this is what the Tweet made by @ACLetsTalk is addressing.  

Side by side comparison of Assassin's Creed Mirage 2023 (left) and Assassin's Creed 2007 (right) promotional material. 

Take a look at the promotional images for both games above. They elicit similar vibes and compositions. A fan, like me, can access the references but a newcomer wouldn't look twice and have an "Ohh I see what they did there" moment. It's almost trying to connect with the audience and at the same time not so much. Anyhow, it's too early to comment as the upcoming Ubisoft live show on June 12 will reveal more marketing and gameplay (a thorough blog post is imminent). In sum, the main point the tweet was trying to communicate is establishing the balance between connecting with both new and old audiences. 

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