Nightwish
04-14-2009, 01:26 PM
Publisher: Please give us back our illegal weapons! (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/publisher-please-give-us-back-our-illegal-weapons/1304911)
Pens? Snore. T-shirts? Boring. Notepads? Been there, done that. Thinking up creative ideas for promotional tchotchkes can't be easy, but someone at uber-publisher Electronic Arts went a little too far last week.
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/ga/buzz/feature/vg19/godfather_300.jpg (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/godfather-2/godfather-2-videos/1302168) Watch Godfather II Video
The game in question: Godfather II (http://videogames.yahoo.com/pc/the-godfather-ii/), a Grand Theft Auto (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/grand-theft-auto-iv/)-style adventure based on the famous movie. The offending item: a set of brass knuckles, mailed to video games journalists together with other goodies including a cigar, a silk handkerchief, and a book of matches. But while it nicely complements the game's mafiosi theme, it also had the unfortunate side-effect of turning recipients of the mailing into criminals, as mere possession of brass knuckles is illegal in many states and can carry hefty penalties.
After blog GamePolitics (http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/04/06/godfather-ii-swag-kit-packs-brass-knuckles) expressed its consternation, the publisher began a flurry of hush-hush phone calls to arrange the return of the weapons. EA declined to comment (http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/04/11/ea-wants-its-brass-knuckles-back) beyond expressing a desire to assist journalists in proper disposal of the items.
The controversial promo also doesn't seem to be helping out the game's critical fortunes: it's turning in some decidedly mixed reviews (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/the-godfather-ii/reviews/).
Pens? Snore. T-shirts? Boring. Notepads? Been there, done that. Thinking up creative ideas for promotional tchotchkes can't be easy, but someone at uber-publisher Electronic Arts went a little too far last week.
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/ga/buzz/feature/vg19/godfather_300.jpg (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/godfather-2/godfather-2-videos/1302168) Watch Godfather II Video
The game in question: Godfather II (http://videogames.yahoo.com/pc/the-godfather-ii/), a Grand Theft Auto (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/grand-theft-auto-iv/)-style adventure based on the famous movie. The offending item: a set of brass knuckles, mailed to video games journalists together with other goodies including a cigar, a silk handkerchief, and a book of matches. But while it nicely complements the game's mafiosi theme, it also had the unfortunate side-effect of turning recipients of the mailing into criminals, as mere possession of brass knuckles is illegal in many states and can carry hefty penalties.
After blog GamePolitics (http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/04/06/godfather-ii-swag-kit-packs-brass-knuckles) expressed its consternation, the publisher began a flurry of hush-hush phone calls to arrange the return of the weapons. EA declined to comment (http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/04/11/ea-wants-its-brass-knuckles-back) beyond expressing a desire to assist journalists in proper disposal of the items.
The controversial promo also doesn't seem to be helping out the game's critical fortunes: it's turning in some decidedly mixed reviews (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/the-godfather-ii/reviews/).