10 Video Game Promotional Tactics That Backfired HORRIBLY

2. Splinter Cell Conviction’s Terrorist Attack

Dante's Inferno
Ubisoft

After the original Splinter Cell trilogy, Ubisoft did their best to keep the franchise in the mind of gamers. Sales numbers were falling in the face of the rise of Call of Duty and Conviction needed to come out swinging in order to succeed.

A bar in Auckland, New Zealand was chosen for a bizarre Splinter Cell stunt where an actor started waving a fake gun around. However, the random patrons of this particular pub had no idea what was happening and soon enough a call was put out to the police.

When officers arrived, they couldn’t immediately ascertain whether the actor’s weapon was plastic or not, meaning that for a moment they were treating the situation as seriously as any other. Essentially, this could’ve ended a lot worse.

Monaco Corporation, whom Ubisoft had hired to handle the game’s promotion, palmed the blame off to a third company. Duane Mutu, marketing manager at the firm, said that "This was by no means an attempt to get cops down there and get this sort of exposure. This was just marketing gone wrong.”

Which begs the question: what was this meant to look like, had it gone right? What was supposed to happen?!

Most people in that pub probably see “Splinter Cell” and think of a traumatic event, with the wider public reaction being second-hand embarrassment.

Contributor
Contributor

The Red Mage of WhatCulture. Very long hair. She/they.