Quality alone does not guarantee a video game's success. Sales often hinge on advertising, and even excellent games can falter when marketing misses the mark. This list recalls titles that suffered from absent, misguided, or plain bizarre promotional efforts, and whether they thrived despite it.
Underappreciated Nintendo titles
Yoshi And The Mysterious Book initially looked like a simple platformer, but its levels are delightful toy boxes full of unique gimmicks. Nintendo's marketing ignored these qualities, and despite being one of the best games of the year, it's believed to have not even cracked a million sales. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, meanwhile, had an infamous UK ad asking, 'Willst thou get the girl? Or play like one?' The ad sparked controversy but didn't hurt the game's launch.
Square Enix and EA misfires
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, despite strong word of mouth, was branded a flop by Square Enix and contributed to the company's decision to avoid future Marvel games. Titanfall 2 suffered from poor marketing and a launch between Battlefield 1 and Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare, dooming it to lacklustre sales. EA also ran a 'Your Mum Hates Dead Space 2' campaign and staged a fake protest for Dante's Inferno, both of which underperformed.
Racing games and Acclaim's stunts
British arcade racers Onrush, Split/Second: Velocity, and Blur all suffered from poor marketing. Acclaim, meanwhile, offered to pay speeding tickets for Burnout 2 and advertised Shadow Man 2 on tombstones. These stunts earned controversy but not success, and Acclaim filed for bankruptcy. A new Shadow Man game, Shadowman: Darque Legacy, was announced in 2023 but has seen no updates since.
