Ju-On to haunt Halloween

Publisher Rising Star Games is looking to capitalise on the Halloween season to drive its milestone release, Ju-On: The Grudge.

The social horror title, based on the iconic Japanese movie, holds particular importance for the publisher – as it is the 50th video game that Rising Star has released since its inception
in 2005.

The company has gathered a dedicated fanbase over the last four years, thanks to its specialisation in bringing Japanese titles to Europe. Previous successes include the likes of the best-selling Hello Kitty and Harvest Moon titles, as well as critically acclaimed Wii titles, No More Heroes and Little King’s Story.

To ensure Ju-On will continue this trend, Rising Star is using the upcoming celebration of all things spooky to improve the game’s chances of high sales. However, product marketing assistant Yen Hau assures retailers the game will sell well throughout the year.

The targeted release date of October 30th is not a coincidence,” he told MCV. Due to Halloween falling on a weekend this year, we expect it to perform very well during this time.

But we are not just releasing a game for one season. The social nature and easy gameplay mechanics, plus the targeted market, means that Ju-On has the potential to perform well at all the key holidays, but also when people choose to play together, potentially resulting in a steady sales line.”