If you have heard about the launch of new ‘Resident Evil’ and you go on TikTok looking to see something gameplay or how to defeat a specific zombie, be careful because you are more likely to end up watching videos dedicated to the back of its protagonist Leon Kennedy than to any weapons guide. You’re reading right: at his back, at his growls and the way he forces a closed closet, and not exactly at his return to Raccoon City.
None of this is coincidental.
Capcom, responsible for ‘Resident Evil’, has not only launched a tremendously anticipated title from a saga much loved by players, it has built a campaign to generate conversation, desire and, above all, a constant presence on networks.
Thirst tweets (messages from fans expressing attraction or admiration for a character), clips designed to go viral and creative decisions aimed at provoking a specific reaction in the audience. fandom It is something that we usually see in marketing campaigns for cinema. A very obvious recent example may be that of the actor Jacob Elordi in the middle of promoting ‘Wuthering Heights‘ being a victim of countless fancams (those clips with images highlighting an actor or character).
But no, this time we don’t have a Hollywood star but a fictional character; and the effect is the same. Capcom has joined the wave and in doing so has put many unknowns surrounding the video game industry on the table while beginning to clear up others. Because the question is not why this particular campaign has worked, but why the video game industry needs to do it now.
Video games sell but they don’t create conversation
The truth is that we cannot say that the video game industry is in the midst of a creative crisis, but rather in a crisis of cultural visibility and, therefore, it is beginning to react with strategies typical of other media. The list of video games that may interest us by theme, gameplay or aesthetics is infinite, but really that wealth remains largely for those who are already in the medium.
For the general public, the video game is still something more opaque and specializedcompared to other cultural areas. The audience, even if they are not movie buffs or music fans, can be up to date with the big premiere of the week or a new album by Taylor Swiftbut it is difficult to know about the new game of Hidetaka Miyazaki. And the thing is, not only does it help that you like the product, but also the red carpets, the media interviews and the marathon weeks of promotion.
Capcom would kill for this.
Thus, we can stay up to date and find out about Zendaya’s new premiere thanks to a viral video talking about the theme of her looks for the red carpet or about Bad Bunny’s new album through a clip of her interview on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jimmy Fallon. On the other hand, here the video game is at a clear disadvantage and does not generate that type of media attention and following outside of the endemic media.
Cinema and music with trends, premieres and their stars constantly cross the public conversationa barrier that the video game cannot break. With few exceptions such as ‘Grand Theft Auto‘or a new generation of’Pokémon‘, few releases achieve a similar level of expectation. We are facing a striking paradox, we are talking about an industry that manages to generate more money globally, but at the same time has difficulties occupying that space in the collective imagination.
This disconnection seems difficult to overcome, because although the ideas and quality of many titles are more than remarkable, there is an underlying problem that shakes the world of the industry.
While income shows record numbers (the global video game market grew by 5.3% in 2025 to reach $195.6 billion), the truth is that the sector is going through a wave of continuous layoffs that hits both small studios and big companies that seemed untouchable like Epic Games with its totem Fortnite. These dynamics of layoffs, cancellations and restructuring show the structural tension that goes further of the games themselves and make it imperative to rethink, not so much what is done, but how it is presented.
Video games have not known how to turn their icons into elements of constant cultural conversation. It is striking how some of its most emblematic characters such as Cloud Strife from ‘Final Fantasy VII’ or Ezio Auditore from ‘Assassin’s Creed’, despite their influence in the sector, barely permeate the broader collective imagination and only become icons recognizable mainly by those who already know the medium.
And for this.
Trailers or old classic events like the E3 or more recent quotes like Game Awards They are not enough to wake up the interest of the general public for new releases; recognizable “faces” and viral moments are needed. We already had a clue in 2023, if for the world of video games the title ‘The Last of Us’ is a reference, the king of the fancams Pedro Pascal and the HBO adaptation so that, through another format, this story would reach the global conversation, even increasing game sales.
In this context, strategies like Capcom’s make complete sense: the aim is not to alter the product, nor the original idea, but to transform how it communicates, positions itself and, above all, how it becomes more visible beyond its own niche.
Capcom and the twist “thirsty”
New releases, such as in film or music, should also be an event with shared experiences and campaigns that transcend the news and Capcom has taken note.
It even seems that the Japanese company has attended the “Margot Robbie school”: just as the actress throughout the promotion of “Wuthering Heights” commented and fangirled with all of Jacob Elordi’s romantic gestures during filming, making him the perfect Heathcliff; Capcom has moved that same logic to the world of video games. With a campaign that reaches not only hardcore players dedicated to the saga, but also those who could get hooked on that cultural component.
Leon S. Kennedy is, within the Resident Evil saga, a well-known character whom we had already met in previous installments. However, in ‘Resident Evil Requiem’ Leon is presented as a veteran agent, approaching 50 and displaying a more somber and surly personality. Every detail of this new design has been carefully measured to reflect the passage of time, but without neglecting the appeal of the character.
AND has worked; so much so that after the presentation of its design at the 2025 Game Awards, in Japan they nicknamed it “hot guy” (ikeoyi). Koshi Nakanishi (game director) wanted “a design that would make anyone’s heart beat” and he has undoubtedly achieved this in large part thanks to the company’s meticulous employees.
“We’ve spent a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals. Leon has a lot of fans among Capcom employees, and the women, in particular, were quite picky when reviewing his design. They would point out and comment on even the smallest details, like the wrinkles on his neck. When I told that story a while ago, a fan told me, ‘The female developers at Capcom did a really good job.'” Nakanishi for Automaton
The essential thing is that Capcom did not stop at the design alone. Given the more than positive reaction of the players, they took the strategy to the next level and to the just like the actors of the latest film or platform releases, part of the campaign included the voice actor reading the so-called thirst tweets of fans highlighting its attractiveness and generating virality on social networks.
The fact is that it is not only a drama for the video game to be able to impact new demographic groups; and this strategy of getting additional noise also helps. During the past year, they launched more than 19,000 video games only on Steamthe platform leader within the PC. The fight within the video game industry is no longer only to achieve more sales, but also to obtain visibility within the medium itself. And to tell the truth, the most 260,000 concurrent players of Requiem on Steam itself (two and a half times more than the previous installment of the saga), confirm the success of the strategy.
Today, the success of the video game goes beyond certain sales figures, what makes the difference are active fandoms and virality through memes, fancams and content generated by players and fans. In fact, the tactic of throwing millions in streamers’ faces it doesn’t seem to work like before. It seems that Capcom has found the key and it was something as simple as the grunts of a fifty-year-old.
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