Capcom's Evil Campaign
by VGLN Staff

Saturday, November 23, 2002

Capcom announced a multi-million dollar marketing campaign to support the release of Resident Evil Ø

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - November 22, 2002 - Capcom Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced a multi-million dollar national marketing campaign to support the recent release of Resident Evil Ø, exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. The marketing campaign, which will run throughout the holiday season, features a multi-million dollar North American television advertising program that begins November 25, a slew of print ads in consumer and enthusiast publications, an extensive radio and online advertising to generate over 250 million consumer impressions.

Often imitated but never reproduced, Resident Evil is the original blockbuster franchise that established the survival/horror genre of video games. It was the first video game that successfully captured all of the intensity, action and drama that horror directors like John Carpenter and Alfred Hitchcock have achieved in the medium of film. The Resident Evil series, now more than 20 million units strong worldwide, has launched an original major motion picture, a line of action figures, comic books, original soundtrack, trading cards and a series of novels. A sequel major motion picture film is in development.

"As Capcom's most epic franchise, Resident Evil Ø kicks off with a massive marketing campaign," said Todd Thorson, director of marketing, Capcom Entertainment. "All facets of the media campaign convey the intense suspense and drama that gamers associate with the Resident Evil franchise."

The :30 and :15 second television spots are aimed at adult males, ages 18 to 34 years old, and will appear on network prime, syndicated and cable programming in the U.S. and Canada including "Saturday Night Live," "Smallville," "Howard Stern," and "Smackdown." The print campaign includes single-page and spread ads that will be featured in leading video game magazines and dedicated men's publications. Radio promotions will be dedicated to on air promotional contests targeting the top 30 rated markets such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Portland, Seattle and Atlanta, just to name a few. Online marketing promotions include the launch of the official Resident Evil franchise site, Residentevil.com, which features a special Resident Evil Ø sweepstakes tied into the print ads, product information and more.

Resident Evil Ø is the prequel to Resident Evil, the game that first introduced the world to the mega blockbuster franchise. Utilizing the GameCube's advanced processing power, Resident Evil Ø will amaze players with flawless animation, living environments and an all-new game system called "Partner Zapping"! Play as Rebecca, a rookie Raccoon City Police Officer who first appeared in the original Resident Evil, and Billy, a framed convict on the run. The "partner zapping" feature allows players to switch between the two main characters at the blink of an eye. Players will experience the brand-new "Zero" chapter and the mysterious events leading up to Umbrella's catastrophic disaster at the notorious mansion. Resident Evil Ø carries an "M" rating for mature audiences from the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board).