Less a village, more a metropolis
Resident Evil Villageis on its way to becoming one of the fastest-selling titles in Capcom history. The super-grim sequel has already raked in overfour million shipments and digital salesin its first 19 days, comprised of figures taken from PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia platforms.
For the sake of comparison, previous sequelResident Evil 7: Biohazardpopped the four million mark around 10 months after its release, while 2019 remakeResident Evil 2rolled outfive million copiesin just under a year. While the quality of each title is subjective, there’s no denying that Village enjoyed far more viral/pop culture global marketing than many of the series’ recent releases, which has no doubt paid off in spades for Capcom.
Following on from the events ofResident Evil 7,Villagesees put-upon protagonist Ethan Winters venture into a haunting Romanian alcove, untouched by time, on a hazardous quest to rescue his baby daughter Rose, kidnapped by formerResihero Chris Redfield for strange and unknown reasons. Critics and fans praised the sequel for its sepia-tinged horror and creative boss characters, though some have expressed disappointment at the title’s action-heavy gameplay.
A key role in getting the title in the public eye was the cult surrounding the sinister Lady Dimitrescu, who carried most of the title’s marketing weight on her ample hat. Despite onlyreallybeing something of an ancillary character, Dimitrescu and her daughters became a key component in gettingResident Evil Villageglobal publicity… Her anda puppet show.
