If you've ever wondered why marketing is so important, here's your example.
Deep Silver has announced that its 2011 title, Dead Island, has just surpassed 5 million sales across all platforms. The milestone comes about 17 months after its debut and just two months before the release date of its successor, Dead Island: Riptide.
As much as Dead Island was a good game, it's hard not to give marketing a pat on the back for the achievement. The game received a sizeable pool of underwhelmed consumers post-release who weren't afraid to voice their opinion about the game's long list of questionable glitches and arguably redundant combat. Additionally, the title was a new IP, and seldom do we see new titles push into the seven digits… times five.
The first Dead Island trailer obtained over 10 million views in quick order, spurring interest from gamers and movie-goers alike. It's no surprise that Deep Silver did the same thing for Dead Island: Riptide, but only time will tell if the same trick works twice.