Volvo Creates Xbox Game For Advergaming

Officials from car manufacturer Volvo have announced the creation of the company’s own driving 'advergame' for the Xbox, to be distributed freely at the car company's North American retailers and at auto shows. Named Volvo Drive for Life, the game is primarily aimed at illustrating the company’s car safety features for the Volvo S40 and S60 R sedans and the XC90 V8 sport utility vehicle. The game starts by illustrating the extreme difficulty of navigating a course in Gothenburg, Sweden without the safety features and then with them enabled. Players then move on to drive the Volvo S40 along the Pacific Coast Highway, race the Volvo S60 R at the Italian Grand Prix or take the Volvo XC90 V8 on the treacherous road to the Ice Hotel in Sweden. The game was developed by Crash ‘n’ Burn developers Climax, working from a design created by marketing firms Kirt Gunn & Associates and RSCG 4D. The success of the project will no doubt be monitored by rival car firms, who traditionally have been satisfied merely to license their vehicles and technology for simulation by other companies. However, Toyota has previously released Gran Turismo 4: Prius Edition for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, offering a similar, if less specifically crafted promotional opportunity to drive a virtual version of the company's cars. "The Volvo Drive for Life game is a significant yet fun shift in how we communicate our message of safety and present our cars to current and potential customers," said John Neu, Volvo Cars of North America's manager of CRM (customer relationship management) and eBusiness. "It details our safety in a way no brochure could ever describe or any commercial could ever visualize. We look forward to seeing the public's response to this work."