2K has long been recognized for its excellence as a video game publisher. Until recently, though, the company was splintered into 3 separate divisions – 2K Games, 2K Sports, and 2K Play. When they decided it was time to unify their brand and establish a single digital ecosystem, they called us.
THE IDEA
Gamers don’t always recognize an affinity for a certain publisher, but we felt that 2K was in a unique position to challenge that. We were confident that we could make 2K.com more than just a corporate portal. We envisioned a platform built by gamers for gamers that would serve as the ultimate resource for all 2K titles. It would have to be flexible enough to house game info for everything from civilization-building strategy games, to graphic shooters, to blockbuster sports titles. It would have to be broad enough to offer customer service, insider blogs, shopping, and forums. It would have to look flawless and behave intuitively on everything from smartphones to large screen monitors. And all of this would have to be so well organized that a small handful of admins would be able maintain these resources for 2K’s entire catalogue of games.
THE EXECUTION
We developed our own a modular framework and a custom Content Management System that allows admins to swap content in and out, and keep the site feeling fresh. Different modules were developed to cater to different needs in every phase of a game’s lifecycle. Screen shots, trailers, music, feature lists, summaries, RSS feeds, and reviews all have their own custom module structures. Modules can be rendered in a variety of sizes, allowing every game page to be truly unique. The modular approach also makes it easy to cross-pollinate content that genre gamers might be interested in, helping 2K to introduce new titles to the most receptive audience. With social modules pulling feeds from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and more, we created an ecosystem where all the buzz about any 2K title can be accessed in one central location.
Most publishers just make announcements to their fans, but 2K felt that communication with gamers should be a two way street. We built lots of ways to expose and elevate fan content, take polls, and to keep the conversation going beyond the console. Real time commenting on images and videos allows gamers to communicate with 2K and with each other.
MEASURING SUCCESS
We designed a platform that can grow with the united 2K brand, serving a huge variety of gamers, titles, and genres on one site. Our proprietary modular framework makes it possible for a very small staff to maintain the entire ecosystem, updating game info and interacting with gamers. By using custom modules to display mix official news and fan buzz, the site has become a one-stop-shop for everything 2K.
