Capcom have entered a “Comprehensive Agreement to Promote Vitalization of Local Economy” with Japan’s Kofu City (Yamanashi Prefecture) to promote tourism and boost the local enemy, the company announced today.
The agreement is the first of its kind between a videogame company and a government body in Japan, and will involve Capcom’s Sengoku Basara series as part of the promotional effort. In four years, Kofu City will be celebrating its 500th founding anniversary (on March 26th, 2019) and in the meantime the city plans on boosting its tourist arrivals from other regions in preparation for the big event.
As part of the agreement between Kofu and Capcom, Shingen Takeda and other Sengoku Basara characters will be used to showcase the city’s history and traditions, and help raise awareness of other activities taking place within. Shingen in particular is important to the cause as he ruled the Kai Province (now called the Yamanishi Prefecture) from his stronghold at Kofu in feudal Japan.
This isn’t the first time that Shingen or other characters from the Sengoku Basara or Samurai Warriors games have been used to promote the causes of different prefectures in Japan. For instance, Capcom have used Masamune Date as an image character to help raise awareness of the Prefecture Gubernatorial election in the Miyagi prefecture among young voters.
