10 Insane Marketing Stunts That Were Used To Sell Video Games

10. Bottled Messages Washed Up On Beaches (BioShock 2)

Thanks to the superb original game, BioShock 2 had an enormous amount of pressure on its shoulders, and people were hungry for just about any new information they could get their hands on. Knowing this, the marketing team decided that they would wash several glass bottles up on beaches around the world, each containing a mysterious poster that teased the game.

The week before this happened, media outlets like Kotaku received a message telling them to head to certain beach spots on 8 August 2009. The message listed nine beaches around the world - with longitude and latitude coordinates and exact times attached to each - including Brighton Beach in England and Rimini Beach in Italy. At this stage, nobody had any idea what to expect at these locations, which generated much excitement and curiosity within the gaming community.

On the day itself, the bottles washed up and the social media posts began to pour in. Dozens of strangers congregated on specific beaches around the world, hoping to find something cool. In Brighton, roughly 40 bottles landed on the beach, with cryptic posters contained within. These posters didn't reveal anything about the plot of the game - which disappointed some - but they did contribute to the air of mystery surrounding BioShock 2, which further drummed up the hype.