Press Kits – Game Hype by Creative Packaging

August 18, 2010 by Akira
Filed under Accessories, Everything, Factory Sealed, Limited Edition, Mega Man, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 (PS3), Press Kit, Promotional Items, Resident Evil, Soundtracks, T-Shirts, Toys

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Something game companies do to hype their upcoming games is to send out limited press kits for sampling by various game review establishments and or collectors. They can be very creative and always seem to have an angle in their packaging that points towards the style of the game. These are often sides to the games that remain unseen and unknown to the gamers. Today we take a look at some of the more creative press kits that have been made.

Dragon Age Press Kit

This press kit is by far the most creative that I have seen. First of all, the package comes sealed with wax. Imagine the pain a collector must feel by breaking that seal! But, inside is something even more unexpected…

This potion is encased in a straw container and the entire press kit is shipped in real straw (as crates would be shipped a long time ago). They really went far with this. There is an unopened Dragon Age press kit available on eBay.

Now a look at several others…

Resident Evil 5 - This kit comes packaged as a “Progenitor Virus Detection Kit + Suppression Kit”. There is no mention of “Resident Evil 5″ anywhere on the box! Now that’s style. Inside you get “Advanced Detection & Suppression Technology Discs”, Nitrile protective gloves, Bio-Hazard containment bag, industrial strength skin sanitizer, and a protective face shield……. WTF!

Final Fight Double Impact - Here’s a cool one. The press kit is inside a breakable barrel! If you’ve ever played Final Fight you would know to break any barrels you see for power-ups. Inside you get a can of temporary spray-on pink hair color, a “Re-Elect Mike Haggar” t-shirt, 1 inch “Mike Haggar for Mayor” badge, an audio cassette of the Final Fight & Magic Sword soundtracks, and arcade tokens featuring Final Fight on one side and Magic Sword on the other.

Mega Man 9 - When Mega Man 9 was announced, the gaming world was set on fire with ideas of new 8-bit games. Since this was a downloadable game in the style of the NES Mega Man series, Capcom decided to make the press kit in the form of a NES game box!… brilliant.

God of War III - This press kit is all about detail. The box is made of aged wood and has hand painted markings. Inside there is the game, “review code” disc, art cards, brochure with images and detail of the game, and a mini poster rolled up like a scroll and tied shut with fabric.

Heavy Rain - The focus of this game is trying to find a serial killer known as the “Origami Killer”. This is why the press kit is tied up as a piece of origami. It’s beautiful.