June 12th, 2008

Puma Games

Do you like to play with animals? Big cats, especially? Well, when I say "Puma Games" I am not thinking about such things, so those of you who were expecting such things will be disappointed. Anyway, to make a longer story short, "Puma games" is about the world renowned sportswear brand Puma, who just got involved in the first MMOG that is trying to "recreate the game of football and its accompanying luxury lifestyle." Sounds interesting enough to read on? Well, here we go...

Football Superstars

According to the (boiling hot) press release I have here, Football Superstars, a game created by a UK based company, called CyberSports, "features thousands of human players online in a virtual world competing with and against each other."The big deal is that the game is completely free to download and play, since "PUMA products and branding incorporated interactively in the game play courtesy of IGA Worldwide, the leading provider of in-game advertising. Players will not only have the ability to experience the awesome speed of the PUMA v1.08 Speed Boot but also visit a virtual facsimile of London’s Carnaby Street concept store in-game, to kit their avatar out with the latest PUMA lifestyle apparel."

Just great! Free game with in-game advertising. I don't know about others, but I have nothing against it. Just look at what these people have to say about the entire "operation":

"We are very excited about our new partnership with Football Superstars as it provides us with a unique opportunity to communicate the brand and it’s benefits to a wider audience." (Richard Callaway, Head of Sport PUMA UK)

"We are proud to facilitate the execution of this campaign, which aligns a leading sports brand with one of the most innovative community-based football games. With the engaging opportunities available within Football Superstars, we believe this is the first of many. This strong integration between both parties will set the standard for other brands looking to get in the game."(Giuseppe Bellanca, VP Ad Sales Europe at IGA Worldwide)

These being said, I think that "Puma games" just got a whole new meaning. A better one.