8. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Sam Fisher Chews Airwaves Gum And Uses Axe Body Spray
In 2005, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was touted to be Ubisoft's equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster. To really nail that point, the company sent out a press release boasting about how the game 'seamlessly integrates' real world brands and companies into the game. It appears that Ubisoft may have another definition for the word 'seamlessly'. From the very opening cut-scene, where Sam Fisher is blatantly taking out some Airwaves gum (and the many subsequent shots of strategically placed Airwaves gum), the game is almost determined to go out of its way to 'seamlessly integrate' as many advertising opportunities as possible. In-game billboards, blimps, and computer screens were exploited to promote brands like Nokia phones, AMD processors, and even Axe body spray. One of the missions even involves Fisher zip-lining off a massive neon Axe billboard, highlighting how good Ubisoft is at this product placement thing. It's believable that covert-ops agent like Sam Fisher would need high-tech gear from Nokia and AMD. It's quite another thing to convince people that Axe body spray would have a place in the Splinter Cell universe. With all those advertising dollars in their wallet, you'd think that Ubisoft could've at least priced the game a bit cheaper.