One of the most engaging and successful gaming IPs to be launched in the last few years has been God of War. The visceral, action-packed adventure and its sequel proved to be hugely successful on every level, having sold millions of copies and been considered among the best games in the respective years they were released. It's because of the high reputation of the series that some were apprehensive that a PSP entry would not reach the high bar the franchise had set.

Critically, any fears of God of War: Chains of Olympus not living up to expectations have been quashed, with nigh universal praise coming from enthusiast reviewers. SCEA isn't content to let God of War: Chains of Olympus be a niche game as far as its appeal either. The company has pulled out all the stops and is promoting the game with fervor unequaled among its portable peers.

We caught up with Jeff Reese, Director of Product Marketing at SCEA, and talked about how these chains won't hold Kratos down.

Stay golden, Kratos!
With God of War, SCEA really has the benefit of a franchise that is still "golden." That is to say that every entry in the series has heretofore has been very well regarded by both the gaming media and consumers in general, even including the mobile phone entry God of War: Betrayal. Because of this, there was a conscious decision to treat God of War: Chains of Olympus as a premiere title from the very beginning.

"It's a master franchise," said Reese. "God of War has been a blockbuster on the PS2 and we want to bring that success to the PSP. Because of that, we wanted to bring a marketing presence to show [God of War: Chains of Olympus] as a completely new entry in the franchise and not just a rehash. This is important, because certain publishers bring titles over to the PSP from other platforms, and we didn't want to do that [with God of War], it being a Sony first party title. We didn't want to port [one of the PS2 God of War titles] since we feel it's important to bring original games to the PSP. So there's a new storyline, new set of characters, bringing a real premiere experience to the PSP."

The hype for God of War: Chains of Olympus really began one year ago. While there had been hints that a PSP God of War title was in existence, a website in God of War II (isleofrhodes.com) featured a countdown timer that officially revealed the game's title. The first teaser trailer of the game on the site really made certain players sit up and take notice of the PSP more seriously than they ever had before.

"Tying campaigns together is always a goal of ours and we define our experience based on the reaction from the fans," detailed Reese. "We knew that with God of War II we had a better game than the original, and with the website isleofrhodes.com, we wanted the payoff to be big. So having some video content around Chains of Olympus was big to us. It was great really seeing the message boards light up after that first trailer debuted. It really helped position the title as a new God of War experience."

By the gods, it works well without a second analog!
Right after the official website for God of War: Chains of Olympus was revealed, an offer appeared for PlayStation Underground members to receive a demo of the game via mail. After the release of the game was pushed back from late 2007 to March 2008, those who signed up received a special edition UMD titled God of War: Chains of Olympus - Special edition: Battle of Attica with a special developer video and an omega shaped lanyard. This, along with the demo released online via the PlayStation Store, gave players their first idea of how God of War would shake down on the PSP.

"The demo has been an important part of this campaign since the onset," noted Reese. "It's a challenge to convey the quality of the game on the new system, kind of like it was difficult to get people to buy into God of War when we first launched it. We reached out to numerous people saying that it was a new IP redefining the action genre. We need to convey that the game was just as epic on the PSP. 'How do you show epic on the PSP?' was a design goal. It was important to get people talking about it, because word of mouth is always going to be the best advertising there is."

"It was a risk bringing [God of War] to the PSP," admitted Reese. "We had delivered something late in the cycle for the PS2 and that also brought both new gamers and lapsed PS2 gamers back to the system. I mean, to hit the higher end of the review spectrum with a sophomore release, you rarely see that, so we were proud of the results for God of War II. Going back to Chains of Olympus, if it had been handled the wrong way, it could have brought down the franchise, but now it will help it stand out as one of the best franchises around, thanks to what Ready at Dawn has done with it. The first God of War got people to give another round to the PS2 and it's going to be the same with the PSP."

In the beginning, there was darkness...
With the recent launch of the game, SCEA has followed up with promotions both over the web and TV. These ads are designed to demonstrate that God of War: Chains of Olympus has a completely new story set before the original God of War and that the gameplay looks as good as ever on the PSP. These various promotions will also inform more casual gamers of the game's existence and availability, bringing the excitement over the franchise to a larger audience.

"The web's always a critical part of our campaigns," commented Reese. "It's always very targeted, showing off what the quality experiences are in the game. At the game's website, we want to make sure we're supporting the overall franchise and drawing players in with compelling material, like constant updates and hidden puzzles. The web is a cornerstone of our campaign, helping spur on community involvement."

"Using television is an expensive decision," he continued. "Looking at the franchise and knowing [Chains of Olympus] will be received well means that it will be a good investment, and I think it's still an important medium to reach out to. TV still delivers the masses and also shows off the experience in the game. We crafted a very high quality message, as with the two other games, and delivered it in a 30-second spot. TV is seen as a validation medium; players say, 'If they think something is great, they'll put it on TV.' This is aided by the fact that Chains of Olympus is simply a good game and again, we needed to make sure the quality was there not just for the franchise, but for the platform."

Will God of War III be revealed in 2008?
Naturally, much of the excitement for God of War: Chains of Olympus was evident around the release, but SCEA has a plan to extend the positive buzz through the summer. In particular, the company plans to release a special bundle for the game in June 2008. Along with a copy of God of War: Chains of Olympus, the bundle will feature a Limited Edition "Deep Red" PSP with an image of Kratos scowling on the back, along with a UMD copy of Superbad.

"The bundle celebrates the overall experience of the game and franchise and is a great win for fans," said Reese. "We want to make sure there's a two-pronged approach: giving PSP owners a good game, and having new fans being able to celebrate with the new PSP. To true fans, getting their hands on one of the limited editions will give them a true sense of joy."

Overall, Reese was very excited about both God of War: Chains of Olympus and the ad campaign SCEA was laying out for it. "I'm very confident that all the marketing we've done is industry leading and the right approach to get consumers engaged in our key franchise."

We also briefly talked with Reese about the much anticipated God of War III. He commented that it will be for the best in the long term that SCE Studios Santa Monica is taking their time and making sure that the product will equal the high quality expected of the series. "It's important to bring the best franchise to the PS3 and make people say 'Wow, this [platform] has the best game available,'" he said. "It will be unparalleled to what we've had before."

We concluded by tipping Reese off that one of the biggest things they could do this year was produce a blockbuster teaser trailer for God of War III (because we're sure that's never come up before). He laughed and responded with a simple "Stay tuned."