Top 10 Stupid Video Game Publicity Stunts

Officer, we swear, we didn’t realize we were speeding! Oh, it’s o.k. because Acclaim is covering the ticket... (7:49)? At least that was going to be the case on “Burnout 2’s” launch day in the UK. We understand that Burnout is a racing franchise (1:49), but did Acclaim really think that covering the costs of someone breaking the law was a prime promotion opportunity? Especially if breaking said law could lead to the disastrous crashes that, let’s be honest, Burnout is known for (0:17)? Fortunately for UK motorists, these plans were cancelled.

We could all use some extra money. How’s $25,000 sound (0:08)? Zynga was generous enough to grace the sidewalks of San Francisco with big bucks. Except the money was fake. And by “grace” we mean “glue.” Since when was littering a good idea? Spoiler: it’s not, because the advertising company responsible for the stunt had to pay a $45,000 fine. At least it wasn’t 10,000 red balloons being released into San Francisco for Homefront, drifting into the bay, and creating hazards for the wildlife... cough cough THQ cough.

Hey Mojoholics, would you like a free trip to Africa? All you have to do is collect the most dismembered limbs in London. The real bizarre part? Capcom couldn’t find the remaining parts after the contest ended. We’re sure those two torsos will turn up? Oddly enough, Sega attempted a similar stunt with Madworld months later. At least promotion for “Resident Evil 6” was regulated to one spot... if... you didn’t mind eating meat made to look like human flesh while drinking a stool sample cocktail at “Wesker & Son.” Deeeelicious.

You know when you watch “The Price is Right” and they offer a contestant free gas for a year? That’s nothing compared to what EA did. In an attempt to promote “Mercenaries 2,” the company decided to offer free gas to all drivers -- about $34,000 worth. Well... maybe if they organized it with the authorities, or spread it across several gas stations... oh... it was one station in Northern London? And they didn’t give police advance warning? Huh. That probably explains why the locals were more pissed than thrilled, especially since the queue of cars lining up for free fuel caused a string of traffic jams across Northern London.

Didn’t we just talk about EA?! Gotta go for those three strikes, we guess. At E3, they staged a fake religious protest against their own game because, “Hell is not a game,” or something. Surely, pretending to be infuriated Christians wouldn’t anger real Christians...... Later in the year for the same game, attendees at Comic-Con were encouraged to “commit acts of lust” by taking pictures with booth babes. The person with the most pics would win a night with “the hottest girl at Comic-Con, booty, and more.” Surely, that wording wouldn’t upset anyone......

Companies want to promote their games in a way that gets people excited. You know what really gets people excited? Being held up at gunpoint! No wait, that’s how you terrify people... yeah, definitely scared shitless. That’s how drinkers at a bar in Auckland, New Zealand felt when a man wandered in and pointed a gun at them because... it happens in the game, maybe? Jeez, didn’t the bar patrons realize that this was an attempt to build hype for the upcoming Splinter Cell game? Yeah, the police didn’t either.

Acclaim gave expecting parents some extra incentive to name their newborn after a dinosaur hunting franchise: $10,000! Well... $10,000 in savings bonds, but still. To be fair -- kinda -- the company may have gotten the idea from the fact that residents in the UK had responded to their previous offer: $766 and an Xbox console if they were willing to change their name to Turok. So perhaps this baby Turok thing was the natural... evolution... of their plans. Hey, that pun wasn’t nearly as bad as this publicity stunt.

A lot of these publicity stunts are several years old, so they maaaaay get away with not knowing any better -- not really. This particular incident is surprising because it happened in 2014, so you’d think Ubisoft would know better than to send a ticking, black safe to an unsuspecting news site. As expected, the police were called and the building was evacuated. To the officers’ surprise, inside the safe were copies of Watch Dogs and promotional items. The kicker? The news site in question, NineMSN doesn’t even cover video games!

Oh Sony, we want to experience decapitation and blood via video games, not in real life. It may have sounded cool to have a risque launch party and competition for “god like status,” but outrage ensued when pictures of said party were featured in the UK Official Playstation Magazine. Say what you will about Capcom’s scavenger hunt and butcher shop, but Sony definitely unsettled everyone with their topless women serving drinks around a real, decapitated goat. The 80,000 magazine issues were recalled, and Sony officially regretted sending out those party invitations.

Before we end this PR nightmare, let’s raise an eyebrow in confusion over these dishonorable mentions:

Crack That Whip!
“Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings” (2009)

All I Want For Christmas Is Bad Rap And Fake Fan Ads
“The PSP” (2006)

The “Deadly” Wolverine Enclosure
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)

Mock X-Ray Photos
“PlayStation One” (1999)

Casual Racism
“The White PSP” (2006)

Those Are Illegal In These Parts
“The Godfather II” (2009)

No one can beat Acclaim at bad publicity stunts -- believe us, The speeding tickets, the baby naming, and now... advertising on tombstones? Not the Halloween shop ones, we mean the actual graves of the deceased. This wasn’t what they meant by, “Explore your dead side,” was it? They even had the gall to say that the offer might appeal to “poorer families” who could use the extra money to cover burial costs. A moment of silence, please, for Acclaim’s historically bad publicity stunts.

Do you agree with our list? Which video game company has advertised their releases in completely ass-backwards ways? For more top tens published -- and advertised -- daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.