BSSP Breaks Work for ‘Star Wars’ Game

SAN FRANCISCO Independent Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners has launched a print, TV and interactive ad campaign for a new video game from LucasArts, Star Wars Battlefront, the agency said.

The game enables players to put themselves on the battlefield with the sci-fi characters, a selling point played out in the TV spots, which began airing this month, said a BSSP representative. The ads show average people in various scenes as they shoot at enemies and fly space-age aircraft along with the game’s stars.

Print ads for the video game, which was released Sept. 21, broke in September issues of gaming and men’s magazines.

Spending was not disclosed. LucasArts Entertainment Co. spent about $10 million on advertising last year and $1 million from January-June 2004, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Star Wars Battlefront is an open-ended single- and multiplayer game set in the Star Wars universe that puts gamers in the action as they relive all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel eras. Console and PC players can choose multiplayer combat or a variety of single-player modes, including Historical Campaigns and Galactic Conquest.

Sausalito, Calif.-based BSSP, which began working with LucasArts earlier this year, also has been tapped to create the launch campaign for the client’s next product, Mercenaries.