The corporations are evil. Okay, Google: how to destroy humanity?

The degree of immersion in the setting determines the loyalty of users. Developers are daily faced with a growing need for involvement, and players always want something more: new locations, levels, characters. Soon created game universes will not be enough and you will need some portal that connects them with the real world. Some companies have long been working in this direction and are not afraid to experiment. A non-standard solution to the problem of involving players has become the sites of in-game corporations.

Umbrella Corporation
Game: Resident Evil
Founded: June 2007


')
Want some cult weapons? Umbrella personally guarantees the quality! If this is not enough, the site has photos from buyers , and on YouTube there are numerous video reviews.

The site was launched in parallel with the release of Resident Evil 4 on the Wii and PC, and then came the film Resident Evil: Extinction. When your game is the best-selling in its genre, creating and maintaining such a site is not a problem. A 168,000 subscribers to the official Facebook account is a good indicator for a non-existent company.

Sarif industries
Game: Deus Ex
Founding date: February 2010



The site’s atmospheric level is overwhelming: Eidos Montreal not only created it, but also hacked it on behalf of opponents of implant technology. So against the backdrop of beautiful advertising and tempting slogans, we see the terrible truth of the Deus Ex universe.
The Sarif Industries website, like the book Deus Ex: Icarus Effect, has become part of a promotional campaign for the release of the much-anticipated prequel by fans of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. With a webcam, everyone can take a realistic selfie with an implant.

Omnicorp
Game: RoboCop
Founding date: July 2012



Is it easy to be a robot? Test your reaction and analytical skills in the role of Robocop right on the Omnicorp website. The tests, however, are simple and short, but the company's products are much better represented - a detailed description, 3D models and video presentations.

The site was launched with the release of a remake of the movie RoboCop in 2014. At the same time, GLU Mobile studio released an official game based on this film. Company videos in total have about half a million views, and the official Facebook account has collected 30,000 subscribers.

Weyland-Yutani Corporation
Games: Aliens vs. Predator; Aliens: Colonial Marines; Alien: Isolation
Founded: March 2012



If you want to work in the most powerful and influential corporation on Earth, welcome to Weyland-Yutani. Show yourself in the training center and assess your chances of finding a job by rating. An employee card is issued instantly ... by you. But, alas, to become an employee of Weyland-Yutani, you will have to completely forget about morals and use Internet Explorer, since Microsoft and IE became the official sponsors of this project.

The site was created as part of the promotion of the film Prometheus. Therefore, all the interactive features in it are tied to the project of the same name by Weyland-Yutani.

Black mesa
Games: Half-Life, Black Mesa
Founded: November 2013



Some companies allow the public to know about themselves as much as the company needs. Black Mesa works to make the future of humanity better. You will see this by looking at the site, which is essentially a commercial. True, in the end there obviously something went wrong ...

In 2013, the site looked different: a classic business card of the company - a description of projects, news, contacts. From January 2015, a “emergency radio message” about the explosion and evacuation was broadcast through the site, which quickly spread to the network. So began the preparations for the appearance of the shooter Black Mesa on Steam. Today, the site is automatically redirected to the game page on Steam.

Aperture Science
Game: Portal
Founded: July 2006



Is Christmas still not associated with Portal? Then go to the Aperture Science website, watch the video again and again ... Soak up the Christmas spirit! Want more? The old version of the site is accessible through web.archive and other similar services that store everything that has ever been on the Internet. The old site is interactivity itself. There are plenty of instructions for using it online. However, many mistakenly take the archive for the company's secret website.
Aperture Science was launched before the release of Portal and replaced with a new version in 2011, exactly to the release of the second part.

Excellia Battlefield Systems
Game: Soldiers Inc.
Founded: April 2013



It's time to think seriously about your safety. A couple of tanks and a small helicopter will look quite impressive. For those who have doubts, there are customer reviews, an annual financial report and the possibility of returning unused products practically free of charge (Is 92% of the purchase amount money?).
The site came out simultaneously with the launch of the game.

The epsilon program
Game: GTA
Founded: June 2004



You do not want to give some money for a good cause? More precisely, a lot. Seriously, the Epsilon Program will change your life. The fundamental ideas are simple and clear, the revelations of those who believed are convincing, and the music on the site ... does not turn off - it looks like hypnosis.
The program first appeared in GTA San Andreas, and the site became part of the PR campaign of the game. Interest in the site increased, respectively, with the release of GTA 4 and GTA 5, in which there are also references to the Epsilon Program cult.

Come to the Dark Side

Evaluating the success and profitability of these projects is only within the framework of the entire PR campaign, but such experiments not only attract new players, but also support the interest of existing ones: this is a good expansion of the game universe for its real fans, and as a media occasion such sites raise hype. around the game project, providing it with interest from potential players.

And what gaming corporations immediately come to your mind?