Resident Evil 7's Dummy Finger Used as USB Stick
By Kyle Sledge 04 January 2017
The video game developer Capcom makes the dummy finger from Resident Evil 7‘s demo as a USB stick and gives it to fans of the game’s Japanese Ambassador Program.
As many fans who have taken on Resident Evil 7‘s Beginning Hour demo will attest, one of the trial’s most frustrating puzzles that cropped up after its initial launch as a timed-exclusive for PlayStation 4 was the introduction of the mysterious dummy finger. Now, it seems as if Capcom is having a little fun with the game’s fans, as the studio behind the forthcoming survival-horror release has begun sending out souvenirs of the dummy finger as a USB memory drive to those in Resident Evil 7‘s Ambassador Program in Japan.
As seen below in the tweet from the game’s official Japanese Twitter account, Resident Evil 7 fans can get a closer look at the collectible piece of memorabilia, with the dummy finger looking relatively more charred than its counterpart in the Beginning Hour demo. Interestingly enough, though, the USB stick is designed to mimic the movements of an actual dummy finger, as there are three separate points of articulation to imitate a curling digit.
【イベント】「バイオハザード アンバサダー」メンバー限定100名様をご招待『バイオハザード7 レジデント イービル』完成披露会開催決定！アンバサダー未加入の方もこの機会に加入していただければご応募可能！お土産もご用意！
https://t.co/3k8gtiZUOG #バイオ7 pic.twitter.com/mxelwvZl5m— バイオハザード(カプコン) (@BIO_OFFICIAL) January 6, 2017
Although the dummy finger USB drive is only being given out to a limited number of fans in Resident Evil 7‘s Ambassador Program in Japan, that doesn’t mean others won’t be able to get their hands on the promotional item. As a matter of fact, Capcom has included a dummy finger memory stick with 4GB in the game’s collector’s edition, in addition to a house music box, an exclusive metal case, a VHS tape box, a premium RE 7 box, an exclusive lithograph of the sinister-looking Baker family, as well as what is described as a “creepy note” from someone who lives in the mansion.
So far, the offering of the dummy finger USB drive as a collectible item is yet another example of Capcom’s outside-of-the-box marketing strategy for Resident Evil 7. Beyond the memory stick, developers have cooked up product ideas like the “4D candle” that adds another layer of immersion to the game’s VR experience by influencing a player’s sense of smell, various refined versions of the demo, and even a Halloween escape room experience last year.
Beyond the ancillary products used to promote further awareness of Resident Evil 7‘s impending launch, the game itself is being eagerly awaited by fans who learned about its existence last year during E3 2016. As it happens, the survival-horror title is considered by many to be one of the most anticipated games of 2017.
Taking all of this into account, fans don’t have much longer to wait for Resident Evil 7 to hit store shelves due to the game coming out in a little less than three weeks from now. While Capcom is incredibly confident in the survival-horror game’s ability to sell well – it has projected 4 million copies in day one sales – it still remains to be seen if positive financial numbers can be achieved, and if the final product is a high quality project.
Resident Evil 7 is set to launch on January 24, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, and Xbox One.
