Llexi Leon, interactive creative director at Phantom, explains how Maiden are conquering the video game world
When did Iron Maiden first venture into the gaming world?
Iron Maiden were trailblazing in this area. No music act had a video game back when they did [1999’s] Ed Hunter – it was really ahead of its time.
Not only was a band having a game around their own IP and character forward thinking, but also the fact they gave it away for free with their greatest hits record. All games are free to play now – we think that’s normal.
Back then, to give away a PC game was quite a big deal. There’s a lot of things about it that was really pioneering.
I think they felt, Well, if we’re going to do something again, it’s got to be doing something really exciting, which I think Legacy Of The Beast has achieved.
What’s the crossover been from gaming fans to Maiden’s music?
As a by-product of that there are new listeners. Every time the game is featured by Apple, regardless of whether there’s any kind of music campaign going on, all of the catalogue sales go up digitally.
Noticeably. I think when the game launched, it was a 500% increase. Something we’re looking at on the road map is how to create an education system in there so when you complete a level it tells you what you were listening to.
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