10 Insane Marketing Stunts That Were Used To Sell Video Games
5. Fake Body Parts Were Hidden Across London (Resident Evil 5)
Resident Evil is famous for its gory horror, and Capcom chose to lean into that when promoting Resident Evil 5.
In March 2009, the company announced a contest that would allow one lucky fan to win a trip to Africa, the main setting in the game. But rather than pulling names out of a hat, the winner was required to find several fake body parts hidden throughout London, bring them to Westminster Bridge, hold them above their head, and yell "Kijuju!" as loudly as possible. Seriously.
In a post on their website, Capcom explained that they had hidden numerous fake body parts at locations near Trafalgar Square. Each body part came with a specific point value: 2 points for arms, 2 points for legs, 3 points for torsos, and 5 points for a head. The player who got the most points and brought their parts to Westminster Bridge by 11am would be crowned the winner.
Hundreds of people took part in this event, making it a resounding success. On the downside, a couple of body parts mysteriously vanished from their original locations and were not accounted for. This forced Capcom to issue a statement telling people not to be alarmed if they stumbled upon a fake mutilated corpse, and that one of the ingredients used to make the bodies - chicken liver - was uncooked. Tasty.