10 Worst Video Game Marketing Campaigns Ever

10. Threatening A Crowd With A Fake Gun - Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell has a reputation for being the ultimate stealth shooter. The franchise's hero, Sam Fisher, is such a skilled assassin, he can slip into any facility and kill his target, without anyone being the wiser until it's too late.

So, when Splinter Cell Conviction was nearing release, Ubisoft decided to run a promotion in New Zealand that was sure to leave an impression (but not the one they hoped for). Basically, the company hired an actor to walk into a crowded bar in Auckland before threatening the locals with a fake firearm.

Unsurprisingly, the situation played out exactly as you'd imagine. Instead of the customers saying, "Oh, look. This gentleman is clearly promoting a video game," everyone hid under tables or ran out of the establishment in terror.

Worse still, the actor portraying the gunman was nearly shot on sight by the police.

Even though some marketing campaigns only seem dumb in hindsight, it's bewildering how no one involved in this stunt thought this was a bad idea. I mean, how did they think locals would react upon seeing a man wielding a realistic gun prop?