Best Games With Misguided Marketing Campaigns

Key Takeaways

A great game can get lost without effective marketing, but misleading advertising can ruin a game’s financial potential.
Marketing mishaps like bizarre stunts or misrepresentations can impact a game’s success.
A publisher’s plans to cynically capitalize on a game’s name recognition have been known to backfire.

As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming history under my belt, I can’t help but shake my head at some of the marketing blunders that have befallen our beloved industry. These missteps not only tarnish a game’s reputation but also serve as reminders of how important it is to understand your audience and respect the medium.

Beyond crafting an exceptional video game lies the path to a renowned video game studio. Given that the industry outshines film and music combined in terms of size, numerous ambitious businesspeople seek a piece of this profitable sector. Moreover, user-friendly tools and abundant tutorials have made game development more accessible than ever for independent creators. Consequently, even outstanding games can get overshadowed amidst the crowd.

The marketing team plays a crucial role here. These skilled promoters are tasked with making a product (like a game) stand out among many others by reaching its target audience effectively. Sometimes, larger publishing companies allocate a significant portion of the project’s budget – even up to half – towards marketing. However, it’s important to note that marketing efforts can sometimes go awry, damaging a fantastic product’s financial prospects due to misleading ads, confusing messaging, or inappropriate attempts at gaining attention.

EarthBound

This Marketing Campaign Stunk (Literally)

As a gamer, I’ve always wondered why Ness is more recognized as a Super Smash Bros. character rather than an Earthbound or Mother one. It turns out that Nintendo marketed Earthbound in North America by creating a prank campaign, making it seem like the game was about a mischievous kid similar to Dennis the Menace. They even used scratch-and-sniff advertising to give potential fans a whiff of what they thought would be an appealing scent related to the game, but it turned out to be skunk spray! Quite a prank, isn’t it?

The marketing materials for this game boldly proclaimed it as “stinking” and introduced it as the first Role-Playing Game with a body odor feature. A large amount ($2 million) was spent on distributing these smelly promotional materials nationwide in magazines. However, this contradictory advertising strategy, which failed to capture the unique charm of Earthbound and resulted in its unpopularity outside Japan.

Guild Wars 2

The Hidden Taxi Cab Roleplay

The months preceding the release of Guild Wars 2 are interesting to examine due to their powerful marketing impact. Yet, since its launch, fans and players have often expressed disappointment that the game doesn’t seem to need advertising to sell itself. Nowadays, Guild Wars 2 is well-known for its mounts. But back in 2014, ArenaNet’s marketing strategy took an unusual turn when they distributed a mysterious taxi ride promotion. This involved a cab driver chatting about Guild Wars 2 with unsuspecting passengers in a vehicle themed after the game’s world, Tyria.

The peculiar exchanges among uninterested individuals (all appearing indifferent to games) failed to highlight Guild Wars 2’s top qualities and instead caused awkwardness among its player community. This was not an isolated marketing error; even the game’s debut live-action commercial showcased a surreal avant-garde film about graffiti, coal walking, and urban freerunning that missed its potential audience and, even more problematically, revealed the final boss’s appearance.

Dead Space 2

Mom Probably Didn’t Pick This One Up As A Holiday Gift

For the gaming enthusiasts who might ponder why video game culture can still seem unfriendly towards women, part of the explanation may be found in divisive advertising. To illustrate this point, consider the Dead Space 2 promotional video from 2011. Instead of highlighting the game as a thrilling continuation of its sci-fi horror roots from the previous installment, the advertisement portrays the disapproval of hundreds of mothers and brands it as “violent, disturbing, and everything you adore in a game.

Instead of emphasizing the gritty and confined environment of DS2, the intricate narrative psychology, user-friendly interface design, intense battle mechanics, or gory aspects, the commercial is unnecessarily condescending, implying that all gamers are immature, isolated individuals who derive pleasure from others’ suffering, particularly those with experiences related to birth. This portrayal fails to acknowledge the existence of female or mature horror enthusiasts.

Brutal Legend

Underplaying Eddie’s Command Of The Crowd

Most successful games tend to focus on either mastering a single type of gameplay or providing a mix of activities to maintain player interest. Clearly, Brutal Legend falls into the latter category with its humorous art style, heavy metal narrative, and numerous cameos from real-life music legends. Interestingly, according to Tim Schafer, their publisher, EA, was hesitant to reveal the game’s diverse genres due to concerns that it might confuse players.

In summary, all promotional content focused on highlighting the game’s hack-and-slash aspects, while downplaying or ignoring the significant role of its RTS (Real-Time Strategy) sections in the latter part of the game. This imbalance in representation may have contributed to Brutal Legend’s lackluster commercial performance, as the audience was not adequately informed about its genre-blending nature, leaving both action and strategy enthusiasts feeling disappointed.

Prey (2017)

What’s In A Name (If It’s Already Taken)

Coming up with a catchy title for a game can be quite challenging, but when Bethesda gave the 2017 game the name “Prey”, it seemed to dampen the excitement of potential players who were already familiar with the original “Prey” from 2006. It appears that Bethesda chose this name from an earlier well-liked game featuring a Native American protagonist as an alien bounty hunter, and applied it to Arkane’s engaging sci-fi simulation, likely in an attempt to leverage the recognition of the established name.

The new game bore resemblances to the initial Prey, notably featuring alien perils and space survival aspects. Yet, many fans were disappointed due to the name change signaling an end to anticipation for a genuine Prey sequel. Interestingly, Raphaël Colantonio, director of Prey, acknowledged that surrendering on the name alteration was regrettable. Fortunately, Arkane’s exceptional work was evident, and the game managed to attract its following.

2024-10-17 10:04