10 Worst Video Game Marketing Campaigns Ever

With Acclaim landing on our list for the third time, it’s apparent these guys aren’t the best at promoting their work, are they?

Now, the most important part of a promotion is to ensure potential buyers knows a product exists. So, when Acclaim was about to release Shadow Man: 2econd Coming, they needed to slap images of the sequel in places where everybody could see them, such as bus stops, subways, and, y'know, walls.

Due to Shadow Man's morbid premise, the developers thought it was logical to promote the sequel in a specific environment - cemeteries. This strategy, which was called deadvertising, involved paying participants to place a billboard of 2econd Coming on their relatives' gravestones. (Because that sounds like a disturbing sketch from Black Mirror, it must be emphasised this was an actual business decision made by a once-prominent gaming publisher.)

What's worse is that Acclaim came across as insensitive and out-of-touch when they suggested their campaign benefited poor families, who struggled with funeral costs. Their comments sparked such an outrage from the Church of England, Acclaim abandoned their campaign entirely.

Ironically, Shadow Man 2's bungled stunt generated more attention than the game itself.