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
i need more so if you know any i'm taking suggestions lmao
37 Games
AiAi, owner of fat nuts. (Print ad, 2006) [Suggested by XenonNV] - https://imgur.com/a/rhBLcCr
This game WILL make you puke. (TV ad, 1993) [Suggested by maradona] - https://youtu.be/UQVai3i5Vpw
Fucking Sponge Cake?????? (Viral ad, 2007) [Suggested by 4A4L] - https://youtu.be/eLvrKNq362k
Deadvertise with your relative's tombstone (Publicity Stunt, 2002) -https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/mar/15/games.advertising
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
That time Acclaim spray painted 20 birds, as a bit (Publicity Stunt, 2003) - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3007704.stm
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
"another strike against the british for this one" (Print ad, 2001) [Suggested by FMTownsParty] - https://imgur.com/a/uZVYPNS
John Romero is about to make you his bitch (Print ad, 1997) - https://imgur.com/a/ttknltE
"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
loli piss. (Press Event, 2007) [Suggested by Cold_Comfort] - https://imgur.com/a/vYwFuGz
EA becomes an illegal arms distributer (Press Event, 2009) -https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/04/godfather-2-press-kit-includes-surprise-brass-knuckles/
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
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
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
Make The Bad Guys Cry Like An Anime Fan On Prom Night (Trailer, 2016) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YngbHOz--oc&t=61s
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/
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
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
Josh_The_Fourth] - https://imgur.com/a/C2WfCyy
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
Rayman has a fat cock (Print Ad, 2003) - https://imgur.com/a/wZBZg9z
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
SuperSpeedRaven] - https://imgur.com/a/qNjfDQz
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
EA fakes a protest for clout (Publicity Stunt, 2009) - https://www.destructoid.com/eas-fake-protest-creates-some-real-protest/
Win a whole island for playing a game good (Contest, 2015) [Suggested by
Pikadourei] - https://youtu.be/Qe-uL40a500
Pikadourei] - https://youtu.be/Qe-uL40a500
Klonoa is the hot new STI hitting the streets (Print ad, 1997) - https://imgur.com/a/iSsETlB
Nintendo Mukbang Moments (TV ad, 1995) [Suggested by Nightblade] - https://youtu.be/Z0E2lmgLF_k
Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 (TV ad, 2011) - https://youtu.be/Pcm5M-KWQnM
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
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
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
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
man FUCK australia (Print ad, 2006) [Suggested by Nightblade] - https://imgur.com/a/Oz9sqIU
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
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
uh oh stinky (Print ad, 1994) - https://imgur.com/a/mzsUfLU
Nintendo, unironically: Zelda is a series for only the manliest of men. (TV ad, 1998) [Suggested by letshugbro] - https://youtu.be/evI5pF5h8Ck
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/
26 Comments
Rayman 3 had a foursome ad, feel free to look it up.
*Rayman 2
This comment was deleted
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.
and I had to add Rayman 2 from that ad. what the fuck.
The Just Cause 3 win an island campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe-uL40a500
madworld severed arm campaign. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/03/british_tabloid_blasts_sega_for_gory_madworld_marketing_campaign
Dead Space 2 was amazing, actuallly
Ocarina of Time had the infamous “Whilst thou save the girl… or play like one?” adverts
Deathsmiles. Part of it's marketing was various flavours of ice tea... themed after being pee from the game's characters.
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
Super Monkey Ball Adventure had this masterpiece
https://twitter.com/MonkeyBallTweet/status/1164900271576817664
https://twitter.com/MonkeyBallTweet/status/1164900271576817664
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
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27607826
Not sure if this counts, but Mario Strikers Charged had a rejected testicles ad.
the yoshis island ad where the dude eats so much he explodes https://youtu.be/F36fNqZN5lg
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
There's also this really weird old Sonic ad
https://i.redd.it/7x3rduui8a511.jpg
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.
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.
https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5b794qRbd1qd4q8ao1_1280.jpg another strike against the british for this one
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
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
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
https://youtu.be/UQVai3i5Vpw
Earthbound
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!").
FMTownsParty
2 years ago
Cool list either way! I love those embarrassing, sexually-charged ads from the 90s about how mascots can fuck.