10 Massively Misleading Trailers NOTHING Like The Final Game

Buyer beware.

As video game trailers have become more lovingly made and often cinematic rather than reflective of actual in-game content, there’s been a growing disconnect between the game we think we’re getting from the trailer and the game that actually comes out.

This got particularly bad around five to ten years ago and there’s since been a consumer backlash that’s resulted in studios often adding a watermark to their trailers or demos to tell you whether they’re cinematic or depicting in-engine footage.

Even though things are arguably getting better, it was still a seminal point in time when gamers had to learn a hard lesson not to judge a game by its trailer. This isn’t to say the problem is entirely fixed as of 2021, but you’ll recognise a lot of these titles from a handful of years back.

I should say that though all these trailers led us astray, that doesn't mean the games that came out of them were necessarily bad. Unless you’re talking Aliens: Colonial Marines. Then it’s bad.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.