Bash The Boss

Why The Regency Chess Company & Nintendo Entertainment Have A Lot In Common

Chess and computer games actually have more in common then people think. Before the days of Mario, Zelda, Sonic et al, chess was the game of choice for players everywhere. Electronic chess made a small but significant entry into the video game market early in the 1980s, but it proves a testament to the lasting nature of the sport that chess is still very much a thriving entity whereas many computer games have long since gone to the great cartridge in the sky.

The Regency Chess Company specialises in sourcing and securing the best chess, Mah Jong and Backgammon sets from around the world to sell to aficionados and professionals globally. Nintendo specialises in enthralling gamers across the world with its strategic mix of role play, action and puzzle games. In this respect both companies are similar. Nintendo and The Regency Chess Company specialise in quality rather then quality – Nintendo has oft been criticised for not having enough first, second and third party titles available for their platform. Yet the titles that Nintendo does produce in house and via second and third party developers are amongst some of the best in the market.

This November sees the release of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword’; a title that Nintendo fans have been waiting for since the 2006 debut of the Wii console and the last Zelda game. Since ‘The Twilight Princess'was not originally designed for the Wii (it started life and was indeed also published on the Gamecube), the release of Skyward Sword has generated even more excitement. The Regency Chess Company is also set to release some new and original chess sets in the run up to Christmas. Both companies are positioning themselves carefully in terms of their marketing and production to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. Whilst their size and product is markedly different, the mechanics and audience remain very similar. Both sets of customers know that they can rely on high quality and expect nothing less. Many companies would buckle under the pressure, but looking at both Nintendo and The Regency Chess Company it is hard to imagine either doing so.

Nintendo has timed the release of its latest Zelda game perfectly – this month the franchise celebrates its 25^th Anniversary. This marks a perfect tie in to launch the new game and capture the nostalgia amongst the masses. A concert has even been organised before the release of the new game at London’s Hammersmith Apollo where a full symphony orchestra and a choir will perform new arrangements of pieces from the series'25 year history. As a marketing strategy this is a genius move on the part of Nintendo. Not only does it stay away from the traditionally more aggressive ‘in your face'strategies of other companies eager to promote the latest ‘Call of Duty'or ‘Assassin’s Creed'entries, but it shows just how seriously the quality of the title is being taken. For a company to treat its product in this manner shows that they take the customer seriously and intend to deliver nothing less then the very best.

The Regency Chess Company is marketing itself in a similarly clever way. Knowing what customers expect from it, it has already made a wide variety of chess boards and pieces available online to purchase. Perhaps the genius stroke on the part of this company though has been the way in which it guides people through the different products they can buy by showcasing them with online videos and having a full showroom available for customers to physically try out the various sets.

Two different companies. Two very similar and high quality marketing strategies. The worlds of chess and computer games have learnt a lot from each other.

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