Acclaim Tries Bloodvertising To Promote New Game

Thanks to Ananova for reporting that Acclaim UK are trying what they call 'bloodvertising' to promote Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance, their PlayStation 2 and Xbox title billed as "the bloodiest ever [videogame]." The UK promotion will include: "Advertisements in bus shelters.. [where] cartridges of red dye will be placed behind clear sheets of film and released over a six-day period. The 'blood' will slowly appear to spill out on the streets and drip onto the pavements." This continues Acclaim's increasingly desperate series of publicity stunts, including using "spray-painted homing pigeons" at the Wimbledon tennis tournament and trying to place game adverts on gravestones.

Comments

This is a problem

[Apreche]

While this advertising is kind of crappy and cheesy it represents a disturbing trend in video games. The trend for developers to concentrate more on theme than gameplay.

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally against censorship and such. I'm not one of those that think violent video games are evil or some such, hell I play cs lots. But Acclaim (seemingly the worst offender) is trying to sell a game because the game is bloody. Give me an hour and I'll code some blood in opengl. I'll make a program where every time you click a huge pool of blood explodes and spills everywhere. Is it a fun game? no.

I've noticed that lately a lot of people have been buying games based on theme. Like all the people who buy a Final Fantasy game just because it says Final Fantasy on it. Or all the people who put down the GameCube just because it looks like its for kids. These are the shallow minded retards that probably buy games Acclaim makes. You know a video game is a good game when you can replace every sprite with a stick figure and replace every thing else with color coded squares and it's still fun to play. That's a damn good game. If a game is only fun because the pictures happen to be pictures of trademarked characters or guns or blood or whatever the game still isn't a good game.

Look at Smash Bros. Sure they used their entire Nintendo lineup of characters as the theme. But if you took it away and replaced them all with stick figures the game would still rock the house. Now take any Acclaim game, do the same. What no gameplay?

If you want to see some blood there are a thousand websites with videos of hideous injuries you can look at. These ads are just one more way stupid developers are cheapening the industry.

Re:This is a problem

[Babbster]

Whether you enjoy Final Fantasy games or not, there are people who do. It hardly makes them "retards."

The "crime" of which you seem to consider others guilty is one that you yourself have committed in deciding before playing that Acclaim's game is bad. In other words, you seem to be indicating that buying a game because you've enjoyed other games from the same series or company in the past is wrong, while insulting a game from a company that has done bad games in the past is perfectly acceptable.

I would also suggest to you that just because you feel that Super Smash Brothers, with or without great graphics, can "rock the house," it doesn't make it a great video game achievement - it's a fighting game with Nintendo characters. There are probably plenty of people who DON'T like the game (I didn't care for it that much myself). It's certainly not like Nintendo started some revolution with the series, and the unassailable fact is that the game would NOT have been as successful had it not included Nintendo characters from other games.

Me? I think that Acclaim tends, on average, to produce sub-par games and that their marketing strategies are often tacky and inappropriate. Of course, that's true of most advertising and probably shouldn't warrant extra attention just because they happen to be selling video games.

I want to note, too, that I managed to write all of the above without referring to you or anyone else by using offensive terminology. My rule of thumb is that anyone who would throw the term "retard" around is probably someone in a glass house.

oh yeah...

[herrvinny]

Shaun White, Communications Manager at Acclaim, said: "The concept of 'Bloodvertising' ties in with our marketing strategy and sticks to the theme of blood and carnage which is consistent throughout the Gladiator video game."

Terrific. The parent and "think of the children" groups are going to have a field day with this. Blood dripping into the streets? Yup, someone in a high place is going to be told about this and raise a firestorm.

Turok

[Luigi30]

Don't forget when they got someone to name their kid Turok for $100,000... (sorry for repost, slashdot hiccuped and said I was an AC)

It's funny until someone gets blood stains...

[hookedup]

The 'blood' will slowly appear to spill out on the streets and drip onto the pavements.

What happense if if someone gets this on their pantlegs or shoes?
But really....I think one of the advertisers was watching simpsons and saw the episode with the itchy scratchy: the movie billboard which poured blood onto the newlyweds below.

They have already won..

[Yakman]

You see, the point of these campaigns Acclaim does, and especially their promotion of them before their fact, is that they get more publicity than by just running the campaign. Even if they never actually go ahead with the bus shelter campaign the game, their brand, etc, is all out in the media.. and FOR FREE!

Pretty good marketing, really.

Too bad...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Acclaim marketing department has more creativity than the actual project developers.

Final Fantasy and buying it for it's name

[Cecil]

I have a problem with the following implication:

Like all the people who buy a Final Fantasy game just because it says Final Fantasy on it.

which concludes that:

These are the shallow minded retards that probably buy games Acclaim makes.

I am not a Final Fantasy Fanboi, although I'm sure some people would disagree. I do think it's unfair to say that people who bought it just for the name are retarded. I buy Final Fantasy games just for the name, granted. It does not make me retarded. I buy them because they are a franchise which has excellent quality standards, because they are made by the same company, a company that I admire and trust with my purchasing decisions. Brand loyalty? Yes.

Admittedly, some people don't enjoy the FF series. Are they the people who keep buying FF games? I doubt it. If they are, then I grant you your point, those people are stupid, and would likely also buy Acclaim crap.

If you like the series, and have in every past iteration, and have liked every spinoff line, then why SHOULDN'T you buy the game just based on it's name? It's very likely that you *will* end up enjoying it a lot. (and if not, it only takes bad purchase to break you of that habit pretty damn quick. See: Master Of Orion 3, Sim City 4)

Re:Final Fantasy and buying it for it's name

[JAYOYAYOYAYO]

"I am not a Final Fantasy Fanboi" bro, your username is 'Cecil' and you have a link to Final Fantasy music videos in your sig.

Re:The right step down the wrong path

[Babbster]

Do you even have the slightest clue what you're talking about?

PC games don't get advertised as heavily because a) the number of people interested in playing PC games is much, MUCH smaller than the number of people interested in playing console games and b) the PC, despite what some believe, was not designed as a video game machine and was in fact designed as a productivity tool. It requires a significant investment to turn a basic PC (with CPU, 256MB of RAM, onboard video and sound, hard drive, monitor, etc.) into a capable gaming device, whereas it takes less than $200 to obtain the hardware necessary to play console games (a little more than $200 in the case of the PS2).

Further, your system-specific points barely make sense and provide no information to back them up. Who claims that the PS2 is "most difficult...to figure out"? Which gamers, besides the most lunatic proponents of other consoles, call the Gamecube "kiddie"? And which Xbox games have "little replay value without Xbox Live"?

I'll save you the trouble of answering those questions. Nobody but the addle-minded find the PS2 hard to operate, ONLY rabid anti-Nintendo nuts dismiss the Gamecube as being a kiddie console, and very damn few Xbox games can be considered as needing Xbox Live to be enjoyed.

The truth is that console titles sell more units and, in general, make more money than PC games. Thus, the console games are naturally going to be more of a marketing priority than PC games owing to the fact that 'it takes money to make money' and television advertising still isn't what I would call cheap.

I'll finish by addressing one more of your points: Even though I watch television via ReplayTV, and thus watch VERY few commercials, I do see snippets and Sony and Nintendo do plenty of advertising for systems and games. There is no way that 29 of 30 video game ads are for Xbox titles. If you think so, then you're not watching a lot of TV - which, of course, most would consider a good thing.

What next?

[morcheeba]

zoocube ads will excrete poo?
ducatti world leaks oil?
I don't even want to know what liquid they'll use to promote Iggy's Reckin Balls!

Uh, guys... the earlier ones weren't REAL.

[AllenChristopher]

Regarding the Turok contest:

About Identity Marketing

Dr S. Cantrell isn't real. His book, "Market Their Pants Off!" (Engell International, ISBN 0552546925), isn't real. The whole thing was a hoax. I mean, my God, look at the man.. could that more clearly be a prop bow-tie?

The gravestone thing was a hoax as well... I haven't the link at the moment.

So the chances of this being real are terribly, terribly low. Especially with the cleaning of the sidewalks....

In a few days, we'll find out this was a hoax. Those of us who were here to read about it will remember, but a whole new set of people will get interested, and maybe angry, about the next one. Yay. Pthppht.