Capcom ”foresee” other publishers following suit with episodic releases to better market full retail titles. It also served as a ”barometer” for demand.
”It’s the most dynamic sales weapon we have ever had in our arsenal, giving us the equivalent exposure of a multi-million pound TV campaign,” said Capcom UK’s Karl Reader. Case Zero launched on Xbox 360 earlier this month for 400 MSP.
In just 2 weeks it’s sold over 500k copies. It acts as a prequel to the events in the full game of Dead Rising 2 starring playable character Chuck Greene and his daughter.
”We foresee other publishers will follow suit. With increasing development budgets and increased risk, several smaller projects is only sensible. What we are seeing is a precursor to episodic gaming with Capcom at the helm,” continued the product manager.
DLC can be the ‘catalyst’ in driving consumers into shops and buying Dead Rising 2 more so than what traditional marketing on TV, billboards and the net could accomplish.
”This style of digital distribution is a win-win scenario for all parties,” he said. ”Retailers will enjoy a surge of pre-orders that traditional campaigns only aspire to. Consumers enjoy six hours of gameplay for a low price.”
“Finally, it serves as a barometer for us as a publisher, allowing us to gauge demand for the title and adjust our marketing plans for Dead Rising 2 accordingly.”
Capcom has announced Case West which sees the original game’s star Frank West meeting up with the sequel’s Chuck Greene. It was revealed at the Tokyo Game Show and is Xbox 360 exclusive. Dead Rising 2 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC September 28th.
