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Ubisoft Apologizes for The Division 2 Email Promising a 'Real Government Shutdown' (pcgamer.com)

Posted by msmash on from the went-too-far dept.

Ubisoft, the game studio behind upcoming title "Tom Clancy's The Division 2", has apologized for an email that made light of the U.S. government shutdown that ended a week ago. From a report: Ubisoft sent out a marketing email for The Division 2 earlier Thursday which prompted a quick retraction. The email was an invitation to the game's private beta, with the subject line: "Come see what a real government shutdown looks like in the Private Beta".

Not long after the email was issued, the publisher sent a retraction. "A marketing email promoting Tom Clancy's The Division 2 was sent in error today. This was a grave breakdown in process and we apologize for this error and the offensive subject line of the email. We recognize the very real impact of the United States government shut down on thousands of people and did not intend to make light of the situation."

14 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. OUTRAGE by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Funny

    Too late... OUTRAGE

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    1. Re:OUTRAGE by penandpaper · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't know what is going on. But I can assure you that whatever it is I AM OUTRAGED!!!

      Let me inform my Twitter followers about how outraged I am. Surely we can get someone fired if we try!

    2. Re:OUTRAGE by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Well I think it is a lot like 9/11 jokes made in the early 2000's. Not necessarily extremely offensive, but poorly timed, as a lot of federal employees, are still feeling the pain from the current shutdown. If this was released in a few months (assuming no more shutdowns) I would guess the humor in the statement would be better received. We make jokes about death and dying all the time, but we don't do it in front of someone who just lost a loved one.

      But I expect the retraction was less to prevent outrage, but the accidental political slant that could be implied in the message. The majority of the US population has blamed the President and the Republican party more for the shutdown then with the Democrats. So the GOP tried to keep the spin about it only being a partial shutdown, and it isn't as bad as we think (The democrats would do the same if they were to be blamed for it). However the way it was worded, it almost thinks that Ubisoft was endorsing the Republican position, which for marketing that would mean you might turn off half of the population in this era of tribal partisanship.

      I think this is less outrage, but possible customers going yea ill skip this, because it is isn't for me.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re: OUTRAGE by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Geez....

      WTF is everyone so damned wimpy and scared of offending anyone?

      I mean, wow...so much for jokes, or even free speech if taken to the far extreme (and people do seem to be trying for this).

      I mean, get a sense of humor.

      Quit looking to be offended. If you don't like something that was said...just fscking ignore it.

      Surly you have something better to be doing?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    4. Re:OUTRAGE by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well I think it is a lot like 9/11 jokes made in the early 2000's.

      What does NASA stand for??

      Need Another Seven Astronauts....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:OUTRAGE by supremebob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The cynic in me thinks that Ubisoft's "outraged retraction" was just part of the marketing plan.

      Hey... it worked, right? You now have Slashdot and other media outlets talking about The Division 2, a game I've never heard of until now.

    6. Re:OUTRAGE by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't think there actually was any outrage... It seems that they sent the retraction email a few hours later, and when you look on Twitter and Facebook there is basically nothing.

      Seems like they manufactured a fake outrage for marketing purposes. Should provide fodder for meta-outrage industry I guess.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re: OUTRAGE by Translation+Error · · Score: 4, Informative

      Enh. Ubisoft realized that people who literally couldn't afford food and had to go to shelters as a result of the shutdown might just get pissed off at receiving an email saying, "Please, you want to see what real problems are like? Buy our game!" And they further realized that pissed off customers who just had money problems are very likely to respond by not buying your expensive new game(s).

      --
      When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
    8. Re:OUTRAGE by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Informative

      I don't know what is going on. But I can assure you that whatever it is I AM OUTRAGED!!!

      Let me inform my Twitter followers about how outraged I am. Surely we can get someone fired if we try!

      Damn. This sounds like a Trump rant but, with the username "penandpaper", you're obviously not him. :-)

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  2. Ended? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    > that made light of the U.S. government shutdown that ended a week ago.

    Did someone misread Trump's tweets? The shutdown has not ended, it is only "suspended". His tantrum resumes on February 15 if he "doesn't get his wall".

  3. Re: I thought it was funny by phantomfive · · Score: 2

    From a marketing perspective, it may have been worth it. Certainly more people heard about this game than otherwise would have.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  4. Re:Oversensitive by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Informative

    Say that to the people who have for the first time needed to go to food pantries so they can eat for the week.
    It is a funny statement, just not timed correctly. In a month or so, it would be much more funny. Right now the joke is under "too soon".

    I really don't see angry people rioting in the streets from this, just some nasty emails saying they were insensitive to the pain they just had.
    In a few weeks the paid would be gone, as they get there checks.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  5. Re:I'm OUTRAGED at the OUTRAGE! by cayenne8 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Actually, I think one of the main things we all might need to observer from this record long govt. shutdown.

    Being that I think they said about 1/3 of the Federal Govt. was shut down for that long and the majority US citizens didn't even notice, and didn't have it really come close to having an effect on their daily, normal lives....says something.

    I think it says, we could do just fine with a WHOLE lot LESS Federal govt., and less govt. workers.

    I think that's something we should look at as we look back upon this record setting shutdown.

    If only the "essential" folks stayed on, and the US didn't really have any major type of failure (I don't consider a little trash in parks as a major catastrophe)...then I think we need to seriously ask if all those folks that were not on the job, are actually really needed on those jobs?

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  6. Re:I'm OUTRAGED at the OUTRAGE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Being ignorant of the wide-ranging and long-lasting effects of the shutdown is not proof that small government works. They turned half a million people into indentured servants just so you wouldn't be severely impacted in the short-term by a true government shutdown.