It seems that Ubisoft has found a new way to use the Power of… The Power of Marketing.
Ubisoft has resorted to an unconventional marketing ploy to promote its new game Star Wars Outlaws. The company invited well-known YouTubers and streamers to a VIP tour to Disneyland after the first day of gaming sessions and interviews. This move raised concerns among fans about the objectivity of further reviews of the game.
European bloggers confirmed They were also invited to a boat trip in addition to visiting Disneyland. Such generosity of the publisher significantly exceeded the usual format of preview events, which are usually limited to a game session and communication with developers.
The cost of a VIP tour to Disneyland ranges from $450 to $900 per hour. Ubisoft previously stated that Star Wars Outlaws marketing budget is the largest of all its games.
Previous reviews of Star Wars Outlaws were quite negative. Players criticized the monetization system and character models. However, after the VIP tour, bloggers began to publish much more positive impressions, which raised suspicions of bias.
Some content makers deny that they received money for their reviews. However, netizens express doubts about the impartiality of such reviews after a luxury trip.
Despite the controversy, Massive Entertainment remains optimistic about its project. It hopes that Star Wars Outlaws will set a new quality bar for games in the «Star Wars» universe.
As a reminder, Star Wars Outlaws work out on August 30 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna, and PC via Ubisoft Connect.
Source: Tech4gamers