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[Draugoth]

​

A new investigation into Ubisoft’s marketing campaign for Star Wars Outlaws reveals the company buttered up YouTubers and influencers with trips to Disneyland and boat tours before giving them access to four hours of gameplay footage.

Part of that “biggest marketing campaign ever” was flying out YouTubers and influencers to Los Angeles to give them four hours with the game. Cyberpunk 20xx revealed that one of his fellow German YouTubers Kartoffel Konig confirmed the claim that it was the biggest marketing campaign ever.

As translated by YouTube Kartoffel Konig stated, “We are with the largest marketing campaign ever for a Ubisoft game. And I can definitely confirm the last part as I was invited by Ubisoft to come to Los Angeles and play in the Star Wars Outlaws event. The location was really polished up, and there was a day in Disneyland and something like that.”


Konig continued, “So Ubisoft spent a lot on that.”

Next, Cyberpunk 20xx shared footage from British influencer and YouTuber LouiseJulie, who revealed she was brought to Los Angeles by Ubisoft early and was taken on a boat tour that she claims was “originally a whale tour to see if we could spot any whales.”


She added, “So, basically they invited a bunch of UK creators who got there early because our flights were booked early because it’s a very long travel time. It was like a 12-hour journey.”

​

On topic of “PSA: I was not paid by Ubisoft or anyone else to make this video. I was given the opportunity to record content however it was fully my own choice to make and share content based on it. The only money I make from this content is from YouTube views. There is no ‘shilling’ or hidden agenda’s involved.”

Source

​

 

[adamsapple]

PSA: I was not paid by Ubisoft or anyone else to make this video.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I mean, even if you're not "shilling", it's hard to think judgement isn't impaired when you're given a free trip to Disneyland and a fun time, lol.

 

[jshackles]

I was not paid by Ubisoft or anyone else, instead I was given a vacation package worth thousands of dollars

 

[Punished Miku]

I dont know if you guys know this, but thats pretty much the entire incentive structure for all game reviewing. Because they arent in it for the money. Its free games, used to be E3 and Tokyo Game Show, swag kits, etc. A day at Star Wars land is all they have left.

P.S. why you should make up your own mind on games generally.

 

[FoxMcChief]

#ad
#ubisoftpartner

 

[feynoob]

Reminder that Ubisoft made avatar frontiers of pandora. Don't get gassed up over those stuff.

 

[ZehDon]

[/CENTER]

"I wasn't paid - I was simply given early access to a hugely marketed title and provided a VIP tour of one the most of sought after vacation destinations in the United States and given ample opportunity to film exclusive content for my YouTube channel from which I have the opportunity to make thousands of dollars".

 

[Fake]

Is this even legal?

 

[Pegasus Actual]

 

[semiconscious]

'were you paid?'
'no money exchanged hands.'
'but were you paid?'
'again, sir, no money exchanged hands'

sorry, but the psa girl reminds me of someone testifying at a senate hearing...

 

[Mr Moose]

They had to wear a prosthetic chin.

 

[SlimySnake]

lol the hate boner internet has for this game is bizarre. especially considering how well it was received last year when it was first revealed. no one had a problem with the character model last year. now all of a sudden there is this big outrage. the story trailer getting massive dislikes was so odd to me.

this is fairly normal stuff. most preview events are held at fancy locations to make sure people dont get burned out. disney getting them tickets to a theme park is something id expect considering star wars is a disney property now.

i remember around like 20 years ago, people were super upset that video game companies were flying out and paying for hotel stays of journalists from gamestop, ign and gameinformer. apparently this was the norm because those websites and magazines didnt have the budget to have their journos fly around the world. there were dinners and buffets and yes entertainment provided.

 

[ManaByte]

Is this even legal?

Rockstar floated the idea to buy hookers for the journalists at the Midnight Club Street Racing junket.

 

[Mr Moose]

lol the hate boner internet has for this game is bizarre. especially considering how well it was received last year when it was first revealed. no one had a problem with the character model last year. now all of a sudden there is this big outrage. the story trailer getting massive dislikes was so odd to me.

this is fairly normal stuff. most preview events are held at fancy locations to make sure people dont get burned out. disney getting them tickets to a theme park is something id expect considering star wars is a disney property now.

i remember around like 20 years ago, people were super upset that video game companies were flying out and paying for hotel stays of journalists from gamestop, ign and gameinformer. apparently this was the norm because those websites and magazines didnt have the budget to have their journos fly around the world. there were dinners and buffets and yes entertainment provided.

It's Ubisoft, copy and paste dog shit. We've seen the protagonist, she looks fuck all like her model (why have the model in the first place?). We've seen the shit animations, you can hit someone without hitting someone (just like in the movies).

 

[Isa]

Is this even legal?

Yeah. If you think that's suspicious, questionable or downright bad this is just small time compared to anything that goes on in Politics and the Media. Lobbyists will often gain favor with nice getaway packages for those that accept with a trip to Fiji(or elsewhere) in a luxury seaside bungalow. I'd imagine nowadays they throw in some bubbly, blow and bitches though that's nothing new really, probably 24/7 SecFor, room service(drinks, assistance, catering), and a regional credit line for anything else. All tied to banks operating out of international waters and thus past most jurisdictional scrutiny.

Now it is ethical? Hell no.

 

[SlimySnake]

It's Ubisoft, copy and paste dog shit. We've seen the protagonist, she looks fuck all like her model (why have the model in the first place?). We've seen the shit animations, you can hit someone without hitting someone (just like in the movies).

Ive seen the actual model in the other thread. it looks fine. she looks bad in some lighting scenarios but this isnt as bad as some of the naughty dog and guerrilla games stuff.

game looked cool. yes, its ubisoft copy paste. so what? we all know how these games play. there is fun to be had here. at worst, its mediocre like avatar. dog shit? you need to play bad games. this is a classic 7 out of 10 game. the amount of vitriol this game is getting is nuts.

 

[amigastar]

Selling my soul for a trip to Disneyland? Seems about right.

 

[Mr Moose]

Ive seen the actual model in the other thread. it looks fine. she looks bad in some lighting scenarios but this isnt as bad as some of the naughty dog and guerrilla games stuff.

game looked cool. yes, its ubisoft copy paste. so what? we all know how these games play. there is fun to be had here. at worst, its mediocre like avatar. dog shit? you need to play bad games. this is a classic 7 out of 10 game. the amount of vitriol this game is getting is nuts.

Why the fuck would I want to play bad games? I am not buying this game (maybe if its very cheap, and lets be honest Ubisoft will reduce the price within a week).

The chin is from their Twitter, so it's all I need to see.

 

[SlimySnake]

Yeah. If you think that's suspicious, questionable or downright bad this is just small time compared to anything that goes on in Politics and the Media. Lobbyists will often gain favor with nice getaway packages for those that accept with a trip to Fiji(or elsewhere) in a luxury seaside bungalow. I'd imagine nowadays they throw in some bubbly, blow and bitches though that's nothing new really, probably 24/7 SecFor, room service(drinks, assistance, catering), and a regional credit line for anything else. All tied to banks operating out of international waters and thus past most jurisdictional scrutiny.

Now it is ethical? Hell no.

gaf will freak out if they hear about business meetings being held at backstage concerts, baseball and football stadiums, strip clubs, fancy restaurant's etc. yes, its unethical for journos to be wined and dined like lobbyists but these are previews. not reviews.

 

[semiconscious]

lol the hate boner internet has for this game is bizarre. especially considering how well it was received last year when it was first revealed. no one had a problem with the character model last year. now all of a sudden there is this big outrage. the story trailer getting massive dislikes was so odd to me.

this is fairly normal stuff. most preview events are held at fancy locations to make sure people dont get burned out. disney getting them tickets to a theme park is something id expect considering star wars is a disney property now.

i remember around like 20 years ago, people were super upset that video game companies were flying out and paying for hotel stays of journalists from gamestop, ign and gameinformer. apparently this was the norm because those websites and magazines didnt have the budget to have their journos fly around the world. there were dinners and buffets and yes entertainment provided.

agree with you, & i'll likely be getting the game day 1. i just think that that psa comes off a little disingenuous. as in, being compensated by someone doesn't necessarily involve 'being paid'?...

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Star Wats!

 

[Hawking Radiation]

They had to wear a prosthetic chin.

Lol what is this about a chin? Is it in reference to the ugly main character's chin?

 

[Saber]

Ive seen the actual model in the other thread. it looks fine. she looks bad in some lighting scenarios but this isnt as bad as some of the naughty dog and guerrilla games stuff.

game looked cool. yes, its ubisoft copy paste. so what? we all know how these games play. there is fun to be had here. at worst, its mediocre like avatar. dog shit? you need to play bad games. this is a classic 7 out of 10 game. the amount of vitriol this game is getting is nuts.

I though this thread was about reviewers receiving a free visit to Disneyland, which is NOT cheap and can affect the judgement of the game since the reviewers could just give a high score and win free visits.

 

[SlimySnake]

Why the fuck would I want to play bad games? I am not buying this game (maybe if its very cheap, and lets be honest Ubisoft will reduce the price within a week).

The chin is from their Twitter, so it's all I need to see.

because you are calling a fairly competent well made game dog shit. your barometer for judging games is all off if you think this game is dog shit and you need to play some bad games to get that perspective back.

this is a single player game. that we champion here at gaf. not a gaas trash like suicide squad. it is next gen only. something gaf wants. it looks great visually. something gaf wants. its story driven. something gaf wants. yes its disappointing that the game isnt as high quality as an uncharted or god of war, but few games are. not every game needs to be a goty contender. its ok to get 7/10 games. there is absolutely nothing offensive about this game for it get this much hate.

 

[Mr Moose]

Lol what is this about a chin? Is it in reference to the ugly main character's chin?

because you are calling a fairly competent well made game dog shit. your barometer for judging games is all off if you think this game is dog shit and you need to play some bad games to get that perspective back.

this is a single player game. that we champion here at gaf. not a gaas trash like suicide squad. it is next gen only. something gaf wants. it looks great visually. something gaf wants. its story driven. something gaf wants. yes its disappointing that the game isnt as high quality as an uncharted or god of war, but few games are. not every game needs to be a goty contender. its ok to get 7/10 games. there is absolutely nothing offensive about this game for it get this much hate.

I can confidently say it would not be the worst game I would play this year, even if it is shit.
I played Hellblade II for free and I feel ripped off.

 

[SlimySnake]

I though this thread was about reviewers receiving a free visit to Disneyland, which is NOT cheap and can affect the judgement of the game since the reviewers could just give a high score and win free visits.

the thread title says previews and previews were held recently which everyone attended including big websites that gave it scathing previews.

yes, it can indeed affect the judgement but i wouldnt exactly take these youtubers word for anything. i mostly look at the cream of the crop of reviewers and they get flown out all the time by every single publisher out there. this is frankly the norm and has been for decades.

 

[semiconscious]

Lol what is this about a chin? Is it in reference to the ugly main character's chin?

it's her luke skywalker chin:

it goes with her luke skywalker hair...

 

[Saber]

the thread title says previews and previews were held recently which everyone attended including big websites that gave it scathing previews.

yes, it can indeed affect the judgement but i wouldnt exactly take these youtubers word for anything. i mostly look at the cream of the crop of reviewers and they get flown out all the time by every single publisher out there. this is frankly the norm and has been for decades.

Taking into account that yes most of youtubers influence the opinion of people these days, I disagree. If those youtubers didn't make any difference then Disney wouldn't waste their time reaching them.

 

[Isa]

gaf will freak out if they hear about business meetings being held at backstage concerts, baseball and football stadiums, strip clubs, fancy restaurant's etc. yes, its unethical for journos to be wined and dined like lobbyists but these are previews. not reviews.

I agree but the intent is still there, to influence the experience as much as possible for better results. I mean, yeah I wouldn't take a business partner or say, some federal inspector to some scummy dive to show them my new project but still. It's not a normal business office or regular restaurant which they discuss and interview the game, but wining and dining at a fairly well established brand resort.

Thinking back the last public event I saw a publisher fly people out to was the FF7Remake Part 2 down in Vegas. They brought out a quite a few Youtubers many of which have smaller channels and their impressions were of course glowing, especially with access to B roll and pics of them with the Buster Sword.

 

[SlimySnake]

Taking into account that yes most of youtubers influence the opinion of people these days, I disagree. If those youtubers didn't make any difference then Disney wouldn't waste their time reaching them.

Oh i completely agree. They definitely do have a voice and a lot of these are toxic channels designed to drum up controversy for clicks. So of course ubisoft would try to get them to ensure they get positive coverage. looking at the recent outrage though, its clearly not working.

I was talking about reviewers. None of these youtubers are on metacritic. yes, they will influence people but i was talking exclusively about actual journalists.

reviewers have been very harsh on A LOT of big AAA games over the years. including games by ubisoft. and yes, they all received this kind of treatment. maybe not disney passes but they were entertained in other ways i can promise you.

regardless, here are some of metacritic averages for AAA games with similar preview events.
- Avatar - 72
- Suicide Squad - 60
- Skull and Bones - 59
- Redfall - 56
- forspoken - 64


We all want to believe that reviewers are paid off, influenced, and what not, but they are still scathing on games that deserve criticism. i wish they were harsher on games like FF7 Rebirth, Starfield, Forza, Halo Infinite, Horizon and FF16, but lets not pretend that getting $150 tickets to disney is going to buy you a good review.

 

[balls of snow]

Didnt that Gman lives dude get hate canceled because he *dies of shock* said something positive about the game. These radicals cant stand the idea that the game is gonna be decent. All the more reason im there day 1.

 

[calistan]

This has always been the way games and many other products are promoted. I worked on UK games magazines for many years and we were frequently flown to expensive locations to meet dev teams and preview games. Even when they brought games to the office, they'd always take the journalists out for lunch.

Nobody's fooled by disclaimers saying 'Company X paid for travel and accomodation to preview this car/game/phone/etc. We do not accept paid content.' The public relations people might not be handing out actual cash, because that would be blatantly unethical, but their job is to make journalists (influencers now, I guess) feel as positive as possible about their product.

Magazines/websites have no budget to do this on their own, and access to the product is entirely controlled by the PR people.

 

[EDMIX]

So basically a yellow chair treatment? =)

Opinion: The Cyberpunk 2077 *CHAIR* Exposes An uncomfortable Truth

If you're on the gaming side of social media then you've no doubt come across the growing phenom of personalities getting this chair and then for months singing the praises of the Cyberpunk IP. Dedicating numerous podcasts to it. AstroTurf HYPE for a game they had never seen running in person...

www.neogaf.com

 

[Mr Moose]

Oh i completely agree. They definitely do have a voice and a lot of these are toxic channels designed to drum up controversy for clicks. So of course ubisoft would try to get them to ensure they get positive coverage. looking at the recent outrage though, its clearly not working.

I was talking about reviewers. None of these youtubers are on metacritic. yes, they will influence people but i was talking exclusively about actual journalists.

reviewers have been very harsh on A LOT of big AAA games over the years. including games by ubisoft. and yes, they all received this kind of treatment. maybe not disney passes but they were entertained in other ways i can promise you.

regardless, here are some of metacritic averages for AAA games with similar preview events.
- Avatar - 72
- Suicide Squad - 60
- Skull and Bones - 59
- Redfall - 56
- forspoken - 64


We all want to believe that reviewers are paid off, influenced, and what not, but they are still scathing on games that deserve criticism. i wish they were harsher on games like FF7 Rebirth, Starfield, Forza, Halo Infinite, Horizon and FF16, but lets not pretend that getting $150 tickets to disney is going to buy you a good review.

I loved the story on FF16, and the gameplay made me feel like it was a FF game (bringing back memories). Forespoken is a little low from what I have played of it (beat the first boss), not sure if it gets worse. Haven't played the others.

So basically a yellow chair treatment? =)

Opinion: The Cyberpunk 2077 *CHAIR* Exposes An uncomfortable Truth

If you're on the gaming side of social media then you've no doubt come across the growing phenom of personalities getting this chair and then for months singing the praises of the Cyberpunk IP. Dedicating numerous podcasts to it. AstroTurf HYPE for a game they had never seen running in person...

www.neogaf.com

Parris, noooo!

 

[Bring Back Scalebound]

I don't know if it's fair to say this or not, but any "influencer", reviewer or whatever, that chooses to go on these trips, deserves to be universally mocked and shamed every time they mention said game in a, of course, positive light.

And if you are a reviewer in specific, you deserve to have your platform taken away from you.

 

[Madflavor]

​

A new investigation into Ubisoft’s marketing campaign for Star Wars Outlaws reveals the company buttered up YouTubers and influencers with trips to Disneyland and boat tours before giving them access to four hours of gameplay footage.

Part of that “biggest marketing campaign ever” was flying out YouTubers and influencers to Los Angeles to give them four hours with the game. Cyberpunk 20xx revealed that one of his fellow German YouTubers Kartoffel Konig confirmed the claim that it was the biggest marketing campaign ever.

​

On topic of “PSA: I was not paid by Ubisoft or anyone else to make this video. I was given the opportunity to record content however it was fully my own choice to make and share content based on it. The only money I make from this content is from YouTube views. There is no ‘shilling’ or hidden agenda’s involved.”

Source

​

 

[SlimySnake]

I loved the story on FF16, and the gameplay made me feel like it was a FF game (bringing back memories). Forespoken is a little low from what I have played of it (beat the first boss), not sure if it gets worse. Haven't played the others.Parris, noooo!

i loved the first 1/3rd of ff16 when it still felt like a game of thrones style game they had promised when they released that deceptive demo.

the rest of the game was basically jrpg fantasy bs that i just didnt care for. i still think its a 7 or 6.5 if im being harsh because the graphics and setpieces were awe-inspiring. but by the end of the game, i was done with the mmorpg style quest design.

 

[EDMIX]

Didnt that Gman lives dude get hate canceled because he *dies of shock* said something positive about the game. These radicals cant stand the idea that the game is gonna be decent. All the more reason im there day 1.

True.

If the game is fun, its getting a buy from me. Regardless of any culture war shit on either side. This is a day 1.

I simply can't buy or deny games based on what some on here cry over lol

They are always looking to cancel this, petition that, outrage over this etc.

Is the game good? Is it fun?

So long as it looks fun to me, it gets a buy as I feel people get so deeply sucked into so much of this culture war stuff. Its like they are so triggered when anyone says anything positive about the game.

SlimySnake Same. That game did not need to be 60 hours long lol

 

[Mr Moose]

i loved the first 1/3rd of ff16 when it still felt like a game of thrones style game they had promised when they released that deceptive demo.

the rest of the game was basically jrpg fantasy bs that i just didnt care for. i still think its a 7 or 6.5 if im being harsh because the graphics and setpieces were awe-inspiring. but by the end of the game, i was done with the mmorpg style quest design.

I enjoyed a lot of FFXV and my fave FF is VIII. I would've liked more of it and explored more of the other stories but I loved it personally.

 

[deriks]

I remeber my days as a journalist and LG gave me a phone to review. Was the modular phone. I didn't like it that much, specifically the modular thing, which didn't do much. LG called me saying that Iwas too harsh or something and asked to change some of my words, or "it will be hard to send other stuff from LG if I didn't". Never got paid from them, but there's that

 

[M.W.]

Big nothingburger.

 

[T4keD0wN]

When youre too cheap to bribe them with money you bribe them with a free tour of your facilities.

 

[semiconscious]

Big nothingburger.

agreed. nothing of value, except for this clumsy attempt at 'distancing', which's classic:

 

[ZehDon]

When youre too cheap to bribe them with money you bribe them with a free tour of your facilities.

Reads more like they're just using a loophole in required declarations; providing someone with "opportunities to make exclusive content that can then be monetised" isn't the same as paying someone for a positive review according to most contracts and authorities. Technically, Ubisoft isn't paying anyone - YouTube is. Ubisoft is simply providing them an avenue for creating the content that YouTube can pay them for.

 

[Rentahamster]

On topic of “PSA: I was not paid by Ubisoft or anyone else to make this video. I was given the opportunity to record content however it was fully my own choice to make and share content based on it. The only money I make from this content is from YouTube views. There is no ‘shilling’ or hidden agenda’s involved.”

* Clarence Thomas enters the chat *

 

[Karak]

Weirdly I get shit on SHIT on when saying I won't go to events if I can't pay. Or that I don't accept money for previews.
"We need to get our bag" Is what I was told last time and shouted down.
I will say if I ask to pay it becomes hard for a company as they do have time specific stuff they want you to go to that they may feel odd asking you to attend if they don't control your trip.

That being said. I feel like, usually, there is a subconscious thing that occurs with paid events. But I assume, like everything in life, it doesn't impact everyone. I just don't know how it wouldn't as thats a purely emotion and excitement thing. Even if, in the rare instance, it caused someone to be MORE negative, if a games preview wasn't great. That is also an effect and a tangible one that doesn't read very well if we want to cover games accurately.

 

[Mr Moose]

Reads more like they're just using a loophole in required declarations; providing someone with "opportunities to make exclusive content that can then be monetised" isn't the same as paying someone for a positive review according to most contracts and authorities. Technically, Ubisoft isn't paying anyone - YouTube is. Ubisoft is simply providing them an avenue for creating the content that YouTube can pay them for.

No need for #ad

 

[Kataploom]

All big publishers have been doing that for their big releases for years already, I remember Zelda TOTK and Jedi Survivor from the top of my head

 

[T4keD0wN]

Reads more like they're just using a loophole in required declarations; providing someone with "opportunities to make exclusive content that can then be monetised" isn't the same as paying someone for a positive review according to most contracts and authorities. Technically, Ubisoft isn't paying anyone - YouTube is. Ubisoft is simply providing them an avenue for creating the content that YouTube can pay them for.

Thas part is completely fine. The rest is not (provided its actually true)

IDK about disneys or ubisofts ethic rules, but i wasnt allowed to accept or offer gifts of any kind when handling RFPs and deciding which suppliers/collaborators to pick for procuring goods/services in any company ive been at. I guess only serious companies (not entertainment) have such policies, not every bribe is illegal, such as this case, if it was theyd need to conform, but its still unethical.