10 Worst Video Game Marketing Campaigns Ever
6. What's In The Box? - Watch Dogs
As Watch Dogs centres around greyhat hacker, Ubisoft felt obligated to incorporate this element into their marketing.
In a promotional ad, we see customers being pranked by a fake retailer who seemingly manipulates their phones to hack lights, cars, and ATM machines.
Even though this was a genius way to market the game, not all of Ubisoft's ideas were met with the same level of positivity.
That same year, they decided to generate some buzz for Watch Dogs by placing a copy of the game, a baseball cap and a beanie inside a black safe, before sending it to news outlet Ninemsn's office in Australia. The package came with a letter, which informed the reader to check their voicemail, which would explain how to unlock the safe door.
Rather than following the instructions, employees tried to open the lock themselves, which caused the safe to start beeping. Fearing there was an explosive inside, the office was evacuated and the bomb squad was called in. The crew moved the safe to the building's basement before opening it, revealing the harmless swag bag within.
Bizarrely, Watch Dogs now has a reputation for having one of the best and worst video game campaigns ever.