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Infinity Ward shows its package, asks fans to choose Call of Duty 4 cover art photo

Box art can make or break a game. At retail, it's the first and only impression for many people; even the worst games with killer box art will get picked up by the average Joe, while some of the best experiences in gaming will be cast aside in favor of a box that doesn't drive consumers to murder.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the other hand shouldn't really have that problem. If Activision gave the OK to Infinity Ward's proposal to have the infamous Goatse image grace the cover of their upcoming first-person shooter, it would still sell a billion copies.

But I guess it's a nice gesture to give fans a say in what box art will hit shelves this Fall ... even if all five proposed images are essentially identical. Seriously, the choices are based on a singular image, only slightly modified each time. This, folks, is why graphic designers and marketing people are paid the big bucks -- tough choices.

Head on over to the official Call of Duty 4 community site (registration required) and weigh in on this year's biggest decision in gaming.

[Thanks to EternalDarkwing for the tip!] 


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38 comments | showing # 1 to 38

blackacidevil's Avatar
blackacidevil at 07/22/2007 01:17
isn't their thing having a close up guy on the cover?
Gamechamp's Avatar
Gamechamp at 07/22/2007 01:24
Not the first one. The guy's too close. He threatens me.

Not the fourth one. He's too far away. What, you a little chicken baby? Don't wanna stand close to the awesome?

The second and third ones are disqualified for Steroid abuse.

The fifth one it is.
Jordan Grim Devore's Avatar
Jordan Grim Devore at 07/22/2007 01:24
I like the last one best.
Bethla Garrison's Avatar
Bethla Garrison at 07/22/2007 01:26
This is the weirdest form of community-based marketing I think I've seen yet. They're totally aware that the cover would never defeat the amount of hype this game has going for it already, so they come up with five identical boxart "choices" to make the fans feel like they're part of the process.

It just seems silly to me - do they really think that this sort of thing is going to be an effective promotion? Do they think it's going to drive in any sort of new audience? I mean, shit, if people are registered on the Call of Duty 4 site already, chances are they're going to buy the game.

If there were actually some variation in the approach to the design of the box and the cover art, I would applaud this as being a true fanservice, a terrific gesture of thanks and appreciation to their audience, but.. as is, this is just a joke.
Yashoki's Avatar
Yashoki at 07/22/2007 01:30
It will be promotion. Most people dont follow games as closely as we do. So when they see theres a new Call of Duty (which alot of people dont know about) the're gonna look at the box and maybe read the back.
Gamechamp's Avatar
Gamechamp at 07/22/2007 01:32
This isn't a big promotion thing. The small differences CAN make or break a cover.
Spykron's Avatar
Spykron at 07/22/2007 01:44
i went to school for graphic design and i can say shit like this isnt easy. they all look the same but it drives you mad trying to pick one. i like delta though.
Joe Burling's Avatar
Joe Burling at 07/22/2007 02:05
I like echo.
RskimB's Avatar
RskimB at 07/22/2007 02:23
Tie between Charlie and Delta for me.
cbebop007's Avatar
cbebop007 at 07/22/2007 02:28
Uh...."Storage REQUIRED"? What's this?
Bethla Garrison's Avatar
Bethla Garrison at 07/22/2007 02:35
I went to school for design, too. I do similar work professionally. It may drive us designers crazy trying to pick a crop for an image, or a typeface's weight, or a subtle variation on a palette, but the fact is that 99% of the audience won't be affected enough by the difference to make it worth the time.

Little things may make or break a cover, but the variations above don't (in my opinion) show any sort of changes that have a significant impact on the consumer's side. They're not even varying their logo lockup. A poorly-added drop shadow on a few of the lockups is not a significant change.

This is just a trick that every designer uses when they're selling a product to a client. It's the illusion of choice. Same photo, same lockup, same palette, same look - but by choosing between a variety of crops and subtle changes to that predetermined cover, the audience thinks that they're "designing" the box. But every decision that will actually have an impact on the audience has already been made.

This is (arguably bad) marketing, dudes.
cbebop007's Avatar
cbebop007 at 07/22/2007 02:38
Meh, I don't think anyone will feel they are "designing" the box, just that they are providing some direct input about what they'll see on the shelves. Now, is this just another illusion? (Remember Rock Band asking for song suggestions?)
Bethla Garrison's Avatar
Bethla Garrison at 07/22/2007 02:46
I don't doubt that they'll go with whatever the community ends up picking. It's not an illusion in that sense. It's an illusion of choice, though - whether you see it as designing the box or having a choice about what you'll see on shelves.

If they really wanted to give the community some sort of choice, if they valued the community's input that much, or if they felt so genuinely grateful to their gamers that they wanted to give them a choice, then there'd be a very different assortment of covers to choose from.

As it stands, these "choices" are the result of an art director handing off finished boxart to a designer and telling him that he has a day to come up with extremely subtle variations - probably to satiate the marketing dept's desire to try this as a form of promotion.

I mean - I wouldn't be saying anything at all if there were two different photos to choose from. Or if there was a different treatment option for the logo. Or hell, even if they just slapped a night background on one of them. If that had happened, I would be applauding this as a genuine gesture of some sort of appreciation. But it's not. It's magician's choice.
skeletor's Avatar
skeletor at 07/22/2007 02:54
personally I don't like any of them, Theres too little going on, they need like one more little thing like a helicopter in the background or something. Little object, just one more
MATTFOO's Avatar
MATTFOO at 07/22/2007 03:22
out of all of them..1st is alpha.....runner up is charlie
Leaderz0rz's Avatar
Leaderz0rz at 07/22/2007 03:26
I really think its more like "Here is the 5 choices we like, which one do you guys think is the best?" If their original point was to truly give the choice to the fans then they would of let the fans create it like Bioshock.
Teta's Avatar
Teta at 07/22/2007 03:49
Echo then Charlie.
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 07/22/2007 04:17
The hazy Echo with the fog of war feeling looks good to me. But somehow I think that most people will choose Alpha, because it looks like every other shooter cover...
Jecrell's Avatar
Jecrell at 07/22/2007 06:35
Echo looks right
Ryan 2502's Avatar
Ryan 2502 at 07/22/2007 07:05
I like Alpha and Delta.

Echo looks terrible to me. Just a smudge of 3 colours.
Churchhills Dog's Avatar
Churchhills Dog at 07/22/2007 07:12
One echo for me please, no sugar.
Garbz's Avatar
Garbz at 07/22/2007 07:35
Echo or Alpha are the best IMO.
Coffee1's Avatar
Coffee1 at 07/22/2007 07:52
(ECHO BOARD)is the only one i would Choose, It looks amazing to play.
Kaikara's Avatar
Kaikara at 07/22/2007 08:04
Definetly Echo Board, looks the most epic out of all of them. With all the bloom and lighting it almost looks like he's been 'called by God' to do battle lol.
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 07/22/2007 08:18
I'll have to go with Alpha since way to many American box art covers use the stark, one guy in the center backgrounds.

I get pissed when I look at box art over here because it's like they didn't even try to make the cover interesting. The actual art is usually well done but it has no sense of composition once placed on the box as if they just lifted some poster or promo art and decided to use it on the cover. American DVDs are even more guilty of it. If these were well thought out box art covers, the composition would have been locked down in the sketch pase.
DrYou's Avatar
DrYou at 07/22/2007 08:43
CHARLIE!
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 07/22/2007 09:54
What about none of them? I'm sick of seeing WWII and combat games in general ONLY have the thought, "Let's stick some guys in uniform on the cover!" Doom and HL don't use imagery from the game to sell it, and I wouldn't expect it...

Bleh to all of these. I might still get the game, since I've seen the gameplay, but the covers don't impress. All they say to me is, "Generic FPS #____"
Virtualgirl's Avatar
Virtualgirl at 07/22/2007 10:14
I think a Client would be pissy at me if i asked them to choose from such similar designs...As a designer, they should know what works better than others....
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 07/22/2007 10:41
@dvddesign

That's what I'm saying! Is it THAT hard to come up with some half-way original box art?!
arcadias's Avatar
arcadias at 07/22/2007 11:09
They all look pretty much the same, so no point judging them individually. In that case it seems fair only to judge the main image itself, which is pretty much the same as any other military-based FPS. Must try harder. See me after class.

Also, Wideset? Typo FTW!
Detry's Avatar
Detry at 07/22/2007 11:22
Echoing the Echo
JohnnyWadd's Avatar
JohnnyWadd at 07/22/2007 11:47
No variety at all, i pick rick astley.
Lightthrower's Avatar
Lightthrower at 07/22/2007 11:54
They all look like american soldiers so all the covers fail.
ran24's Avatar
ran24 at 07/22/2007 13:14
Echo is the best
SeraphX's Avatar
SeraphX at 07/22/2007 14:27
Echo Bravo Foxtrot...Err Echo
xX Hollow Tip's Avatar
xX Hollow Tip at 07/22/2007 14:37
they all look good 2 me
UltraViolence's Avatar
UltraViolence at 07/22/2007 15:05
All about that Delta.
Mmm.
cjg0621's Avatar
cjg0621 at 07/22/2007 16:26
either alpha or echo
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