Pragmata publisher Capcom has left another vacant URL in one of its video games — so, of course, a fan has snapped it up.
Earlier this year, fans spotted a domain name referenced within Resident Evil: Requiem that was still available to own. One player quickly bought it up, and used it to host links to their YouTube channel and social media profiles. Speaking to IGN, the domain’s new owner said he was surprised Capcom had referenced a domain it did not control (which anyone could buy, and use to host, well, anything) but would give it back if asked.
Now, the situation has happened again — this time with a website address spotted in Capcom’s newly-launched Pragmata. The address itself is an obvious Easter egg for Resident Evil fans, as it references the franchise’s infamous baddie Albert Wesker.
Speaking to IGN today, Russian Pragmata player Alexander Trisvyatsky said he had bought the URL after spotting it in the game, and tried it out to see if it went anywhere.
“As soon as Pragmata was released, I started playing it and reached the moment where we are shown a 3D-printed New York,” Trisvyatsky said. “I looked at a billboard and saw the text, ‘A Wesker Production.com.’ I opened my browser and typed in aweskerproduction.com; the domain was available, so I quickly registered it.”
Log onto the website now, and you’ll find a scrolling set of Resident Evil memes showing its characters (but mostly Wesker and Leon) in humorous poses. “Hello dudes/Darova dudes,” reads the page’s title, while a footer notes that the page was “created for entertainment purposes only” with no affiliation to Capcom.
Trisvyatsky said he built the site in minutes, then added Google Analytics so he could check if anyone else ended up visiting the URL. He also added a disclaimer, “stating that all rights belong to Capcom and that the memes belong to their creators, and made the site public.” Not expecting anyone else to click onto the site, he then sat back — until the hits then started coming in. “And then it took off :slightly_smiling_face:,” he added.
“I have no plans for the domain,” he continued, “this is just a one-time project, and I want to emphasize that I am just a regular fan, not a scammer. I did not include ads, I am not asking for donations, and so on — I just wanted to have some fun, and it seems it worked.
“I respect Capcom’s works, I love their games, and if they ask, I will immediately transfer the domain to them. Great respect to Capcom for continuing to localize their games into Russian, including voice acting— Russian-speaking players truly appreciate this and are grateful.”
Intriguingly, Trisvyatsky told IGN he was not aware of the similar situation with the website address in Resident Evil Requiem, and had simply been inspired to buy the domain for fun. Proudly, he mentioned that the website had now received more than 45,000 hits as of this morning.
Plenty more fans could log on soon, as Capcom announced earlier this week that Pragmata had already sold 1 million copies in two days — a fantastic start for the company’s newest IP, which has arrived to a warm response. Indeed, IGN’s Pragmata review returned an 8/10. We said: “Punchy shooting action and a creative hacking-puzzle gameplay mechanic make combat the true highlight of Pragmata. The story may seem like an afterthought, but its sci-fi drama gives enough to see it all the way through and experience this satisfying third-person shooter.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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