Capcom, That's Not How Memes Work

There’s a lot of dumb luck and good timing need for things to go viral online. But the most important thing is that the memes should come from the internet. I know that. You probably do, too. But Capcom? Geeeeeeez… Yesterday, the Dragon Dogma Online Twitter account released an image of in-game orcs, writing that it was offering this template as a show of gratitude. “Please use this to make interesting Photoshops.”(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c&cid=872d12ce-453b-4870-845f-955919887e1b'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c" }).render("79703296e5134c75a2db6e1b64762017"); }); The problem was that nobody was ‘shopping Dragon Dogma orcs onto anything. Nobody asked for this. It feels like Capcom was trying to re-create the viral sensation that Square Enix and Nintendo saw last year. In short, Capcom was saying, “Hey internet, please make a meme for us.” You know, to help publicize their game. Ungh. The biggest difference was that both Square Enix and Nintendo both were reacting to memes that had already started. Fans first made funny Photoshops using low-res assets, and then, seeing that people were having fun, these game companies decided to make hi-res versions available. Capcom, however, was hoping to create a meme from nothing, really. https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-xvs-road-trip-as-imagined-by-the-interne-1637786643 The reaction online has been pretty frosty. On Hachima Kikou, a popular Japanese game site, commenters called Capcom’s Photoshop plan “boring,” “dumb,” and even “garbage.” “Square Enix offered assets for Photoshop after the trend had started,” one commenter wrote, while others said rummy 51 Capcom was simply copying others. “Capcom, you make your own Photoshops,” wrote one commenter, while yet another chimed in, “I’d make a Witcher 3 Photoshop, but not this.” “They have no sense,” added another, while a different commenter wrote. “This is so stupid.” Only a few Photoshops that have appeared, and the whole thing has really backfired. [Photo: masariro] [Photo: larz771] rummy best [Photo:rusiaru28] The image reads: “They said use rummy golds this to make a funny Photoshop?! First of all, you make it yourself, you morons.” Ouch. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.