A deep dive into the gamecube’s launch campaign

Nintendo's launch print campaign for the GameCube was built around a transparent steel cube. The first ad, for the console itself, ran in Rolling Stone and showed a man floating in water holding a controller under the slogan "Born to Play." Game ads followed for Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Wave Race: Blue Storm, each staging a single scene inside the frame with three screenshots below.

The format carried over to NBA Courtside 2002 and Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader.

The GameCube launched in North America on November 18, 2001, backed by a marketing effort reported at around $75 million. The TV spots used the same cube, rotating into the GameCube logo while a voice whispered the name.

Leo Burnett Chicago handled media support for the launch, including print ads in 50 magazines. The agency picked up the Nintendo of America account in 1991 and went on to produce Play It Loud! in the mid 1990s, Who Are You? in 2003, Wii Would Like to Play, and Nintendo's first Super Bowl spot for the Switch in 2017.