Games With Bad Promotional Campaigns

Games with infamous marketing, be it print ads, tv spots, or press events. RIP to Acclaim for being the kings of this shit.

i need more so if you know any i'm taking suggestions lmao

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A lifetime of Bethesda games, if you name your baby Dovahkiin (Publicity Stunt, 2011) - https://www.pcgamer.com/parents-name-child-dovahkiin-earn-a-lifetimes-worth-of-bethesda-games/
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Nintendo, unironically: Zelda is a series for only the manliest of men. (TV ad, 1998) [Suggested by letshugbro] - https://youtu.be/evI5pF5h8Ck
EarthBound
EarthBound
uh oh stinky (Print ad, 1994) - https://imgur.com/a/mzsUfLU
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic is going to piss, and there's no way you can stop him. (Print ad, 199X) [Suggested by 4A4L] - https://imgur.com/a/A0xGtIr
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Capcom tried to throw a scavenger hunt with fake body parts and oops oh ah the parts are missing, They Lost The Parts (Publicity Stunt, 2009) - https://www.campaignlive.com/article/zombie-game-marketing-stunt-goes-awry-body-parts-disappear/890177
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS
man FUCK australia (Print ad, 2006) [Suggested by Nightblade] - https://imgur.com/a/Oz9sqIU
God of War II
God of War II
Sony threw a party with a dead goat and I don't know how to make a joke about that (Press Event, 2007) - https://kotaku.com/that-time-sony-threw-a-god-of-war-party-with-a-dead-goa-1734350134
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6
The Wesker & Son Resident Evil Human Butchery, where Capcom hypes up cannibalism (Publicity Stunt, 2012) - https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-28-capcom-creates-fake-human-meat-market-in-east-london
Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs
Ubisoft sends a beeping safe to a site that doesn't even cover video games and is surprised when the bomb squad gets called. (Press Event, 2014) [Suggested by AlexaLily] - https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27607826
Dead Space 2
Dead Space 2
Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 (TV ad, 2011) - https://youtu.be/Pcm5M-KWQnM
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Activision-Blizzard dresses their twitter up like a news aggregator, says a terror attack happens, promptly says sike (Publicity Stunt, 2015) [Suggested by SuperSpeedRaven] -https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/call-duty-tweets-fake-terrorist-attack-spark-backlash-n437026
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Nintendo Mukbang Moments (TV ad, 1995) [Suggested by Nightblade] - https://youtu.be/Z0E2lmgLF_k
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Klonoa is the hot new STI hitting the streets (Print ad, 1997) - https://imgur.com/a/iSsETlB
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Win a whole island for playing a game good (Contest, 2015) [Suggested by
Pikadourei] - https://youtu.be/Qe-uL40a500
Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolution
Square Enix pushes internet bullying and death threats, as a goof (Promotional App, 2012) - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hijinks-square-say-threaten-hits-on-your-friends
Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno
EA fakes a protest for clout (Publicity Stunt, 2009) - https://www.destructoid.com/eas-fake-protest-creates-some-real-protest/
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
The best way to promote multiplayer in this children game is with group sex, of course. why did they do his mouth like that. (Print ad, 1999) [Suggested by
SuperSpeedRaven] - https://imgur.com/a/qNjfDQz
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman has a fat cock (Print Ad, 2003) - https://imgur.com/a/wZBZg9z
MadWorld
MadWorld
SEGA scatters a bunch of prosthetic limbs across London but it made The Sun mad so this might be a good promotional campaign (Publicity Stunt, 2009) [Suggested by GutterTrash] - https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/03/british_tabloid_blasts_sega_for_gory_madworld_marketing_campaign
Super Mario Strikers
Super Mario Strikers
Nintendo cops a very 90s energy to tell you only those with the biggest of balls can play Soccer. (Rejected print ad, 2005) [Suggested by
Josh_The_Fourth] - https://imgur.com/a/C2WfCyy
Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm
Dan Ryckert making his smartest choice in the gaming industry by not eating the Bulletstorm meat. (Press Event, 2010) [Suggested by AlexaLily] - https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/06/08/bulletstorm-meat.aspx
Homefront
Homefront
THQ drops 10,000 Red Balloons into the San Francisco Bay (Publicity Stunt, 2011) - https://www.sfweekly.com/news/homefront-video-game-company-launches-10000-balloons-into-the-bay/
Mighty No. 9
Mighty No. 9
Make The Bad Guys Cry Like An Anime Fan On Prom Night (Trailer, 2016) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngbHOz--oc&t=61s
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Ty will put the competition in the hospital, and he'll do it again (TV and Print ad, 2002) -https://youtu.be/qzsC1qSqFDo / https://imgur.com/a/MPr6rBW
Daikatana
Daikatana
John Romero is about to make you his bitch (Print ad, 1997) - https://imgur.com/a/ttknltE
Battleborn
Battleborn
"VERY NSFW, but I have received reports that BattlebornRule34 is now a thing on Reddit. LINK WITH CAUTION:" (Twitter post, 2017) - https://twitter.com/duvalmagic/status/821140723135352832?lang=en
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Acclaim will pay your speed ticket and no, I don't know why they were like this (Publicity Stunt, 2002) - https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/92444/Acclaims_Burnout_2_Marketing_Promotion_Irks_UK_Goverment.php
Worms World Party
Worms World Party
"another strike against the british for this one" (Print ad, 2001) [Suggested by FMTownsParty] - https://imgur.com/a/uZVYPNS
Deathsmiles
Deathsmiles
loli piss. (Press Event, 2007) [Suggested by Cold_Comfort] - https://imgur.com/a/vYwFuGz
Turok: Evolution
Turok: Evolution
US: Name your baby Turok for $10,000 if you're not a coward (Publicity Stunt, 2002) - https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/7687/more-turok-naming-madness

UK: Change your name to Turok and we'll give you £500 and an Xbox (Publicity Stunt, 2000) - https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/marketing-mix-acclaim-plays-name-game-five-lucky-gamers/158055
The Godfather II
The Godfather II
EA becomes an illegal arms distributer (Press Event, 2009) -https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/04/godfather-2-press-kit-includes-surprise-brass-knuckles/
Super Monkey Ball Adventure
Super Monkey Ball Adventure
AiAi, owner of fat nuts. (Print ad, 2006) [Suggested by XenonNV] - https://imgur.com/a/rhBLcCr
Virtua Tennis 2
Virtua Tennis 2
That time Acclaim spray painted 20 birds, as a bit (Publicity Stunt, 2003) - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3007704.stm
Genji: Days of the Blade
Genji: Days of the Blade
An action game based on Japanese history based on famous battles that actually took place in ancient Japan (Press Event, 2006) - https://youtu.be/OdGLvM6F6YE
Cybermorph
Cybermorph
This game WILL make you puke. (TV ad, 1993) [Suggested by maradona] - https://youtu.be/UQVai3i5Vpw
Shadow Man: 2econd Coming
Shadow Man: 2econd Coming
Deadvertise with your relative's tombstone (Publicity Stunt, 2002) -https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/mar/15/games.advertising
JAM sessions
JAM sessions
Fucking Sponge Cake?????? (Viral ad, 2007) [Suggested by 4A4L] - https://youtu.be/eLvrKNq362k

26 Comments


2 years ago

Was it medal of honor (the reboot) where they had links to arms dealers on the web page of the game? Dunno if that fits but I was reminded of it, lol.

Cool list either way! I love those embarrassing, sexually-charged ads from the 90s about how mascots can fuck.
Rayman 3 had a foursome ad, feel free to look it up.
*Rayman 2

2 years ago

This comment was deleted

2 years ago

I dunno if the medal of honor thing would fit for sure (I guess it'd just be like... product placement / advertisement, and not promoing the game, right?) but that's so fucked haha, definitely the first I'm hearing of it

and I had to add Rayman 2 from that ad. what the fuck.

2 years ago

The Just Cause 3 win an island campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe-uL40a500

2 years ago

Dead Space 2 was amazing, actuallly

2 years ago

Ocarina of Time had the infamous “Whilst thou save the girl… or play like one?” adverts

2 years ago

Deathsmiles. Part of it's marketing was various flavours of ice tea... themed after being pee from the game's characters.

2 years ago

EA mailed raw meat to people for Bulletstorm which seems, at best, ill-advised. https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/06/08/bulletstorm-meat.aspx

2 years ago

Super Monkey Ball Adventure had this masterpiece
https://twitter.com/MonkeyBallTweet/status/1164900271576817664

2 years ago

Oh, there's that time Ubisoft sent a beeping safe to a company that doesn't even cover video games and got their offices evacuated because they thought it was a bomb.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27607826
Not sure if this counts, but Mario Strikers Charged had a rejected testicles ad.

2 years ago

the yoshis island ad where the dude eats so much he explodes https://youtu.be/F36fNqZN5lg

2 years ago

Jam Sessions on the DS had that pretty infamous cheese cake ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLvrKNq362k

There's also this really weird old Sonic ad
https://i.redd.it/7x3rduui8a511.jpg

2 years ago

considering half the acclaim ones were bailed on or just published ideas, I'll take the Super Mario Strikers one. I'll take anything as long as it's about promotion, one way or another, and there's evidence of the promotion or ad existing.

2 years ago

Also the fact that I had to dig for the Deathsmiles one to get two grainy pictures. Thank you but also I hate that I have this information.

2 years ago

https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5b794qRbd1qd4q8ao1_1280.jpg another strike against the british for this one

2 years ago

They can't keep getting away with this
Black Ops III actually had a publicity stunt where they called in a bomb threat on a fake twitter news page.
Maybe these are stretches but I saw the battleborn one so I might as well suggest.

The injustice 2 mobile game getting a pride event that involved beating up Poison Ivy, one of the games queer characters.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-04-injustice-2-mobile-dev-apologises-for-pride-event-that-challenged-players-to-beat-up-a-queer-woman
.and the Dead Rising 4 marketing email that noone proofread so it included something very close to a slur
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vg247.com/amp/microsoft-apologises-for-perceived-racial-slur-in-dead-rising-4-marketing-email

1 year ago

Cybermorph commercial for the Atari Jaguar that heavily implies the game is nauseating by showing a kid puking on the camera.
https://youtu.be/UQVai3i5Vpw

1 year ago

Earthbound

1 year ago

That time Mighty No. 9, an anime-influenced game, had an ad with the most ham-fisted "self-aware" dialogue imaginable that also insulted its potential playerbase ("...and make the bad guys cry like an anime fan on prom night!").


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