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A bloody-minded, natural survivor, aching to take a bite out of the opposition or a withering, half-dead husk on its way to your local mall.
on its way to your local mall. By combining Xbox One with zombies, Microsoft‘s marketing department is essentially inviting both points of view on their soon-to-debut console.
Buddying up with Dead Rising 3 developer Capcom this past week, Bill Gates’ billion-dollar empire has been out and about on the streets of Canada, spreading the word (or perhaps the infection) on the Xbox One‘s imminent release.
Following the arrival of Vancouver’s very own mega-sized consoleon Wednesday, fans of the Xbox brand were informed of a super secret Easter egg tucked away in the system’s innards. To access it, they would have to enter an online prize draw, with rewards ranging from exclusive digital content to launch day trips to Toronto.
However, no sooner had fans begun to speculate as to the identity of the hidden treat – or the amount of entries required to trigger it — than the installation opened its doors to unleash Halloween havoc. Measuring in at over 30ft, the modern-day Trojan horse waited until October 31st to dispense with its carrion cargo, a ravenous horde of (faux) angry actors, all kitted out in zombie regalia. Despite the best efforts of the local P.D, the pack quickly overran the area, posing for pictures, feasting on flesh and generally making a success of the event.
With so much attention lavished on Microsoft’s many failures up to this point, it’s good to see that the company has retained a sense of mischief and marketing nous. Last month, for instance, gave us the debut of the company’s new ‘lead’ trailer for Xbox One, a similarly fun-filled extravaganza, recalling the glory days of Xbox marketing.
Despite being about as enjoyable as any outbreak has the right to be, it still seems like Microsoft may have missed a trick with this latest marketing move. Zombies are cool, but Ryse -flavored Roman zombies, pumpkin-headed Titanfall mechs and undead Killer Instinct characters are just that little bit cooler.
Is a slick TV advert enough to sway you towards the green and black, or is Microsoft simply throwing cash at its problems? What kind of marketing gimmick would you like to see Sony pursue, if any? Have your say in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest Xbox One news, right here on Game Rant.
The Xbox One launches worldwide on November 22nd, 2013.
Follow Sam on Twitter @ GamingGoo.