Me, in 2010: THQ – Now, That’s a Company with a Future
Remember THQ? They published such games as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Darksiders I & II, the Destroy All Humans series, Homefront, the Red Faction series, and Saint’s Row 1-3. Almost as famous as their games were the THQ marketing stunts, including a Golden Wii. A lot of these marketing stunts were pretty memorable, but they did not please people.
In promotion of Saint’s Row: The Third, THQ had replicas made of the game’s weapon, the Penetrator. These weapons are giant dildos on a stick, which the player whacks enemies with. They also used the presence of porn actresses in Saint’s Row 2 & 3 as a marketing ploy. For Homefront, THQ released hundreds of balloons into the San Francisco sky, much like residents of South Korea would send messages via balloon to North Korean residents. These balloons were taken down by the wind and rain right into the bay, polluting it. Another Homefront marketing stunt involved hiring actors to walk down a Los Angeles street dressed as North Korean soldiers, like the antagonists of the game.
The particular marketing stunt we are focusing on today is a gold plated Wii that was meant for Queen Elizabeth II. It sounds like something Nicholas Cage would steal. Because the royal family does not accept gifts, for obvious security reasons, the console never made it to her and was returned to THQ. What happened to it, you may ask. Well, since THQ went out of business, former Eurogamer journalist Chris Bratt decided to track it down. He made a short documentary-type video chronicling his journey to find it. Watch it to find out what happened to it. Or, highlight the following SPOILER: It fell into the hands of a console collector. End of Spoiler.
What do you think about some of these stunts? Should THQ have cut the funding on them for their future? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Polygon