According to an interview by MCV with Capcom’s UK product manager Karl Reader, downloadable content has been a more effective advertising mechanism than a big budget television ad.
In an effort to promote Dead Rising 2, Capcom created a prequel to the game that helps to develop the story. The prequel was named Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and was an Xbox exclusive. You could get it from the Xbox marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points.
In the first week of its release the game was downloaded over 300,000 times and by the second week had reached over half a million downloads. Reader said, "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."
Reader believes that this method of promotion will catch on among publishers and change the way that games are advertised all together. He went on to say that he believes this method is a win for everyone as the gamers get to enjoy the game, retailers saw a surge in pre-order sales and Capcom was able to more accurately determine the demand for the game so they could adjust their plans accordingly.
Dead Rising 2 is already available in Europe and is scheduled to be released tomorrow in the U.S.