Gamertell

Every year I receive a bundle of holiday greetings from various game and entertainment companies usually in the form of a nice postcard signed by the PR staff.

In the past some some companies would include a little gift with their card (Sony) but, more recently, companies are opting for less expensive and more eco-friendly digital cards sent via email and include note of a charitable donation. Even in the less paper-y format, the cards often include characters from the company’s more popular games.

Here’s a collection of Christmas and Holiday cards I’ve received celebrating 2009. So far it includes:

• Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) - Paper card with velum insert. Usually one of the more professional cards received and, this year, the most politically correct. So far it is also the card featuring the most game characters.
• D3 Publisher - One of the weirdest actual cards featuring images of the PR staff and a hot dog costume (“Cerven Claus?”).
• Invictus - An email card but definitely one with character.
• Atlona - Another email card. This one screams “Happy Holi-Bros.”
• Weta - My favorite email card so far mostly because it has that olde look featuring Dr. Grordbort.
• Spiel Studios - An email card that exudes the traditional snowy season.
• Halfbrick - A email card and the first I received that melded real-world employees with game characters.
• Syd Mead - That guy who designed the uber cool bikes in Tron sent out his email holiday greeting today (also on his web site) featuring some of his highly stylized art. I think this image was actually one of the Christmas cards you could buy from hs site a few years ago.
• Nintendo - A printed and embossed card with peek-a-boo ornaments exposing Mario and friends on the front. Very cool.
• LucasFilm - LucasArts/Films always sends the coolest cards. They went with a gingerbread character theme (“Ginger Clones”) and a bit of embossing. They’ve also made a donation (and trend for the year).
• Vivid Games - An email card with a goofy guy on it.
• Namco Bandai - It’s a super colorful, Pac-Tastic e-card.
• Warner Bros. Interactive - It’s an email card with WB characters playing PS3 (or PS2?) including Batman and, well, you just have to see it.
• Fallen Earth - Here’s a trio of email greetings cards that fit the game’s style. I prefer the snowman card.
• Ubisoft - OK, not so much a card as a disguised coupon for 50% off downloaded games. (This one went to Ubisoft newsletter subscribers.)
• Mid-Ohio-Con - An event I now try to attend each year. Although it features mostly comics - as the e-card demonstrates (Hulk be MERRY!) - the event also includes a few game companies as well.
• Majesco - It’s a Serious Sam-themed e-card you can get via Xbox Live to promote Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter. According to Majesco the card is “the gunslinger’s very eloquent way of saying, ‘Have a Happy F#*&$^% Holiday Season and a K*%& @$$ New Year.’” So there ya go.
• Blizzard - Holy crud I almost forgot this one. I received this email card so early it nearly wasn’t included.

Don’t forget to check out the Christmas cards from game companies (2008 edition). So far this year seems to include less Flash videos than last year (2008).

Watch for this page to be updated as I receive more cards.

Photo Gallery [Gamertell]

Check out the gallery: Game company Christmas cards for 2009