Jade Empire from Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, was released for its Xbox this summer in a Limited Edition (LE) package using 3-D holography.
From game developer BioWare Corp., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the $49.99 “M”-rated game is claimed to have the first packaging in the entertainment market to use holography with 3-D art. The holography appears in background visuals including a dragon, mountains and temples in combination with foreground visuals including a flaming sword, fist, and game villians. Prior industry efforts have relied on 2-D graphics or 3-D patterns, not artwork, according to Microsoft packaging engineer Duane Colbert.
The game is packaged in a DVD case using a holographic 6-pt paper insert from Vacumet Corp. The paper is lacquer-coated, micro-embossed, and metallized to impart the holographic effect. The holographic nine-up sheet is then offset-printed in six colors plus UV varnish and die-cut by AGI Media Services.
Precise registration onto the holo paper was crucial, Colbert says, especially since it was finalized before the artwork. “And we needed just the right amount of transparency with the PMS red ink,” he adds. Technicolor did the assembly and packaging, which included two CDs and an instruction booklet. That included high-speed insertion of the holo cover into the Xbox-green injection-molded, polypropylene DVD case’s clear outer sleeve. Colbert says Technicolor tested three paper thicknesses to ensure smooth insertion; 6-pt substrate was found to be the most efficient.
Microsoft group product manager Craig Davison reports that the LE pack was created “to both encourage and reward consumers who reserved their copies in advance or purchased at the launch. Our early buyers appreciate unique, collectable packaging designs that are clearly different from the standard box.”
Did Jade Empire LE annihilate the competition? “I’m happy to report it sold out,” says Davison, which is nearly as good. “We believe packaging plays a pivotal role in all of our games’ sales.” While he declines to provide specifics, Davison says premium editions tend to represent 5% to 10% of a game’s total sales.
—Rick Lingle
