High-Speed Pursuit Begins Promotion
The gaming world is in chaos, but the wheels of the world will not stop turning.
Before the heat of CES had completely dissipated, Universal Pictures' shrewd business acumen had already seized the opportunity presented by Sega's massive marketing campaign, launching the summer promotional campaign for "John Wick."
The producers' office at Universal Pictures was filled with the smoke of cigars.
"Tom, the commotion you guys made at CES was even louder than the hype we generated by spending a fortune on trailers." On the other end of the phone, Ron Meyer, a senior executive at Universal, spoke with a mix of amazement and a barely perceptible hint of relief.
He looked at the newly released public opinion report on the table. The popularity of the "John Wick" game demo had even surpassed the discussion surrounding the King of Fighters demo, which was released at the same time.
"Ron, I told you long ago, following Takuya's plan was the right thing to do." Tom Kalinske's booming voice rang out on the phone, overflowing with smugness. "Now you believe me?"
"I believe it now, I'm so damn convinced I want to go to church and light a candle for your Mr. Nakayama -sen!" Ron Mayer laughed and cursed, then his tone became serious. "We've decided, the publicity plan is being moved up entirely. The first trailer will be released next week, directly in front of the hottest movies in theaters."
"So fast?"
"It's getting late. This time is perfect; it ensures the effectiveness of the publicity while saving some money." Ron tapped the table.
Universal Pictures put in a lot of Kung Fu when casting the male lead for this film.
At this time, Hollywood's action film style was still in the stage of hard-hitting battles like in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with muscles, heavy firepower, and explosions being the mainstream.
Many people are not optimistic about Nakayama Takuya's style of "tactical shooting combined with close combat," which emphasizes efficiency and movement.
"We need an assassin, a battle-hardened man whose eyes reveal weariness and danger."
"In his proposal to Universal Nakayama Takuya wrote, 'Not a superhero who just came out of the gym and could kill a bull with one punch.'"
Therefore, he even suggested that Universal Pictures consult John Woo, who was already interested in making it in Hollywood.
After hearing Universal Pictures ' requirements for the action style, John Woo immediately recommended his long-time collaborator in Hong Kong, Philip Kwok, who had studied under Chang Cheh.
"To capture that crisp, swift, and ruthless feel, you need to find him."
The male lead's choice was even more complicated and unpredictable.
After a round of open auditions, the casting director handed over the final list.
"Liam Neeson?" Ron Mayer frowned as he looked at the list. "He's done a lot of art films, but action movies—can he handle it?"
"His eyes were perfect," the casting director explained. "We had him audition for a short scene, without any lines, just sitting there wiping a gun. The calm yet weathered feeling he exuded perfectly matched our image of the lead actor."
"What about the others? How about that guy who played the FBI agent in ' Point Break ' last year? I heard he's really popular lately."
Upon hearing this, the casting director gave a strange look, and after a long pause, finally said, "Keanu Reeves Ron, he was shooting a magazine cover in the next studio the day we auditioned. I saw him—that pretty boy looks more like he'd say 'Whoa!' to an enemy than shoot them in the head."
This comment ultimately made Ron Mayer make up his mind.
As it turned out, this choice was absolutely correct.
When the first teaser poster was released, the entire North America continent took notice.
The poster's design is exceptionally simple.
Against the dim background, there was only one man dressed in a black suit.
His face was scarred, but his eyes were sharp as knives, and he gripped a pistol tightly in his hand, with a wisp of gunpowder smoke still rising from the muzzle.
The man was Liam Neeson.
The poster didn't feature any explosions or flying cars; it only had a striking slogan.
"Don't mess with him."
This poster, filled with a somber atmosphere, creates a strange and powerful chemistry with the bustling and energetic scene at the John Wick game booth at CES.
A question began to grow rapidly in the minds of all gamers and movie fans.
What could possibly drive a man to such a point?
Once Universal Pictures ' publicity machine is in motion, the effects are immediate.
The first to be ignited were the players who had experienced John Wick firsthand at CES or glimpsed the Yamaichi through gaming magazine reports.
On a typical weekend afternoon, the sounds of keyboards being typed and mice clicking filled the student dormitories at the University of Southern California.
"Hey Mike, stop playing that crappy Hunter x Hunter and come look at this!" A young man named Jesse slammed a brand-new copy of Electronic Gaming Monthly onto his roommate's desk.
The blond guy named Mike didn't even look up. "Can it really have the same freedom of gameplay as <The Hunter>?"
"That's way cooler!" Jesse flipped the magazine to the middle color page, which featured a screenshot from the game * John Wick *, along with a detailed explanation of the QTE system. "Look at this, gun-fu! Parry with your gun, use the momentum against you, and then headshot!"
Mike finally glanced at it, showing some interest. "Sounds good, but how does it play?"
"How was that?" Jesse stood up excitedly, grabbing a banana from the table and mimicking a pose from a magazine. "Imagine an enemy lunging at you from the side, a B key flashes on the screen, you press it, 'Bang!' The protagonist will smash his elbow into his face, then press a gun against his chin, 'Tap!' Done! Clean and efficient!"
As he spoke, he even solemnly propped a banana against his chin and made sound effects.
Mike watched his comical antics and burst out laughing, "You look like a monkey about to commit suicide."
Despite his laughter, he still leaned closer and carefully read the report.
Similar scenarios are playing out simultaneously in countless gaming communities across the United States.
Soon, this trend spread from the small circle of players to a wider public.
Professional media outlets, led by Electronic Gaming Monthly, spared no praise.
"----We were fortunate enough to experience the arcade prototype of * John Wick * at CES. It's safe to say that this is more than just a light gun game; it defines a completely new genre of action games. The adrenaline rush you feel when your character flawlessly executes a CQC (Close Quarters Battle) weapon-grabbing and counter-kill is unparalleled by any traditional shooting game."