Dead Rising DLC more effective than TV ads

The Dead Rising downloadable game has the same marketing impact as a big budget TV ad campaign, says Capcom.

Case Zero was released earlier this month for 400 Microsoft Points and has been downloaded half a million times in just two weeks.

The game acts as a prequel to Dead Rising 2, which is available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC tomorrow (Friday, September 24th).

It provides consumers with an original zombie adventure based on the full game, rather than a traditional demo.
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’s UK product manager Karl Reader.

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.”

Reader says that the DLC can act as the catalyst to drive consumers in-store in time for Dead Rising 2, more so than traditional marketing.

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.”

Following the success of the first downloadable title, Capcom revealed plans for another – Dead Rising: Case West – at Tokyo Games Show last week.