10 Dumbest Ways You’ve Been Sold Video Games

If you ever want to know why former publishing powerhouse THQ went out of business you have to look no further than the absolutely ridiculous amount of money they spent on the marketing campaign for the decidedly average Homefront back in 2011.

Splashing the cash for maximum exposure isn't a terrible tactic in itself - hell, marketing is just as important as the quality of the actual game when it comes to shifting copies - yet it's completely baffling as to why the publisher spent so much money on so many clearly useless ideas.

The worst offender, however, has to be the plan to release hundreds of "communist" red balloons over the streets of San Francisco in order to promote the game's release. Even worse, most of the balloons involved in this misguided guerrilla marketing idea ended up in the nearby bay, which didn't quite have the same impact as whatever THQ probably intended with this publicity stunt.

Actually, in hindsight, this failed event completely sums up the final release of the original Homefront: a game that was propelled into the public consciousness by plenty of promise and original ideas yet ended up being a completely deflating experience once it was released into the wild.