UK paper: Sony used beheaded goat to promote God of War II
by Kevin Kelly 
on Apr 28th 2007 10:02PM
136
Update: Sony explains God of War's dead goat antics
London's Daily Mail reports that Sony apparently decided to turn things into a true Roman spectacle in the UK for the launch of God of War II by displaying a decapitated goat and having revelers reach inside to feast upon the goat's innards.
At first, we thought this was a clever analogy someone was using to describe a piñata being busted open, but it appears like it was the real thing. According to the article, "Guests at the event were even invited to reach inside the goat's still-warm carcass to eat offal from its stomach." Yuck!
Pictures of the event, featuring topless women as well as the strange feast, were featured in Official PlayStation 2 Magazine. Subscriber copies had already been sent out, but the company is now recalling the 80,000 newsstand copies that were to appear this Tuesday. Meaning you might have a collector's edition on your hands, if it turns out to be true.
For all the links and outlets reporting this, something just doesn't seem to add up. The game launched April 27th in the UK, but magazines have a long lead time, so when was this party thrown? Neither one of the linked stories has a date. We're waiting on official word, and have contacted both Sony and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to try and find out more. We'll let you know whatever we find out.
[Thanks to all the readers who sent this in. Anyone in the UK actually attend this party and can fill us in?]
Read - Slaughter: Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat (NSFW)
Reader Comments (136)
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 10:47AM (Unverified) said
I believe this story more than that 8 year old kid playing GH2.
All I know is I want the same drugs that Sony's PR firm is on, it must be one hell of a trip!
All I know is I want the same drugs that Sony's PR firm is on, it must be one hell of a trip!
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:03AM (Unverified) said
@93
"* Kent earthquake damages hundreds of homes"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070428/ap_on_re_eu/britain_earthquake;_ylt=AiTI4F9QcUd.O1W5sUUJIwt0bBAF
Article from AP that includes statements from the US and British Geological Surveys.
"* Fitting space funeral for Star Trek favourite Scotty"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070428/ap_en_tv/rocket_launch_21
Also from AP.
I saw these articles on Yahoo yesterday evening.
"..lol.. Joystiq got pwnd.. "
..lol.. Ian Von Porter got pwnd..
"* Kent earthquake damages hundreds of homes"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070428/ap_on_re_eu/britain_earthquake;_ylt=AiTI4F9QcUd.O1W5sUUJIwt0bBAF
Article from AP that includes statements from the US and British Geological Surveys.
"* Fitting space funeral for Star Trek favourite Scotty"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070428/ap_en_tv/rocket_launch_21
Also from AP.
I saw these articles on Yahoo yesterday evening.
"..lol.. Joystiq got pwnd.. "
..lol.. Ian Von Porter got pwnd..
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:06AM azuravian said
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:12AM (Unverified) said
Someone within Sony hired a company to stage this event. Saying that Sony decapitated a goat is inaccurate. Now, whoever hired this company either didn't check what they were going to do or didn't find it very offensive. Maybe Sony needs to train their employees in PR about sensitivity issues.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:44AM (Unverified) said
As long as it was free-range, then I'm ok with murdering it for show!
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:46AM (Unverified) said
So desperate..
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:53AM trainwrecka said
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 12:12PM (Unverified) said
@104
you'd think theyd learned their lesson about outsourcing PR from the damn PSP rap, but no they just had to compete with themselves for worst stunt ever.
you'd think theyd learned their lesson about outsourcing PR from the damn PSP rap, but no they just had to compete with themselves for worst stunt ever.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 12:19PM elephantexpress said
You guys need to do some research before posting this stuff. "Daily Mail" posts fake news hence NOT REAL.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 12:36PM (Unverified) said
Goats are delicious....
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 12:39PM (Unverified) said
Anything that outrages the Daily Mail gets my vote.
"The party was held last month in Athens in homage to the game’s Greek mythology themes. Revellers partied against the floodlit backdrop of the Parthenon.
At the event, guests competed to see who could eat the most offal – procured elsewhere and intended to resemble the goat’s intestines – from its stomach.
They also threw knives at targets and pulled live snakes from a pit with their bare hands.
Topless girls added to the louche atmosphere by dipping grapes into guests’ mouths, while a male model portraying Kratos, the game’s warrior hero, handed out garlands."
That is a gutsy PR move lol, wish I had been there! :)
"The party was held last month in Athens in homage to the game’s Greek mythology themes. Revellers partied against the floodlit backdrop of the Parthenon.
At the event, guests competed to see who could eat the most offal – procured elsewhere and intended to resemble the goat’s intestines – from its stomach.
They also threw knives at targets and pulled live snakes from a pit with their bare hands.
Topless girls added to the louche atmosphere by dipping grapes into guests’ mouths, while a male model portraying Kratos, the game’s warrior hero, handed out garlands."
That is a gutsy PR move lol, wish I had been there! :)
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 12:45PM Ahti said
AWESOME!!! Sony Rules!!!
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 1:32PM (Unverified) said
FATALITY!
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 1:35PM FredFredrickson said
A desperate move made by a desperate company.
God of War looks like a piece of crap anyway... seriously, I got tired of running around beating guys up about 20 years ago playing Double Dragon.
God of War looks like a piece of crap anyway... seriously, I got tired of running around beating guys up about 20 years ago playing Double Dragon.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 1:41PM (Unverified) said
Whoa whoa whoa Marty, I understand your point about beat 'em ups, but... who gets tired of Double Dragon?
@Topic, Why am I not surprised? They probably paid some jackasses to have a party, and had no idea what it would entail. This is Sony's fault for not throwing their own party. Let's wait and see IF Sony even tries to deny it. This is living? No, this is eating goat guts.
@Topic, Why am I not surprised? They probably paid some jackasses to have a party, and had no idea what it would entail. This is Sony's fault for not throwing their own party. Let's wait and see IF Sony even tries to deny it. This is living? No, this is eating goat guts.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 2:29PM (Unverified) said
Boobs :)
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 3:21PM (Unverified) said
I can't believe Joystiq actually bought into this article. Your credibility is now as viable as Daily Mail.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 7:31PM bneals said
Just what Sony needs...good PR.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 4:19PM (Unverified) said
Kyle if joystiqs street cred is in question then so is drudgereport and foxnews they got the story up as well im still on the fence about this i need more proof than wiki theyve been unreliable in the past
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 4:27PM (Unverified) said
"Kyle if joystiqs street cred is in question then so is drudgereport and foxnews they got the story up as well im still on the fence about this i need more proof than wiki theyve been unreliable in the past" - orAngeMicro
comment of the day!
comment of the day!
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 6:55PM (Unverified) said
This just in: Sony uses body of a decapitated goat to sell copies of God of War 2.
In totally unrelated news, the Xbox 360 outsells the Playstation 3 in Japan for the first time ever.
In totally unrelated news, the Xbox 360 outsells the Playstation 3 in Japan for the first time ever.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 7:09PM (Unverified) said
someone posted a comment on here about sony raping their sisters or mothers... sony fanboys would come up with some sort of excuse...touche....with storys about the vt shooter playing video games this goat beheading just adds more ammo too a growing list..the party sounded like it was on the right track with topless women feeding grapes and a model dressed like kratos...but i would be damned too belive someone though it would be a great idea too graphically cut a goats head off....dead or alive..alot of people are hoping this story is fake...keep wishing folks
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 7:09PM JimJim said
This is living?
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 7:34PM (Unverified) said
I'm usually pretty fair minded, and that pushes me to defending Sony on various occasions but...
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Do they seriously think this sells games and systems?
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Do they seriously think this sells games and systems?
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 8:26PM (Unverified) said
I don't think we need anymore proof that Sony is insane.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 9:45PM (Unverified) said
This article is obviously fake. There's no other news of this anywhere else on the net.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 9:50PM (Unverified) said
It's irresponsible journalism that Joystiq would even print this, without doing any background research. It's obviously fake, yet most of the commentors don't know that. They're bad, I guess. Still, this posting reeks of a "writer" trying to promote bad data... I'll be keeping an eye on this Kevin Kelly character.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:29PM (Unverified) said
Everything about this on the web seems to point back to same Daily Mail story, which makes it hard to really believe. But given some of the stuff they've tried lately, not impossible. They really need to step up and speak about this directly to the public, not just as a spokesperson response reported in the same article. If this didn't happen, I hope Sony holds everyone responsible accountable and makes sure everyone knows this didn't take place. If this did happen, there needs to be some good explaining, and an account of what truly happened. Hopefully some of those subscribers who are going to receive their copies of the magazine where that scan seems to have come from will be able to chime in soon.
Honestly, the event happending isn't nearly as disturbing to me as the idea that they would be dumb enough to let this happen. Whether it was the fault of a hired promotions group or not, Sony is responsible and can't afford to allow things like this to take place in their name.
Honestly, the event happending isn't nearly as disturbing to me as the idea that they would be dumb enough to let this happen. Whether it was the fault of a hired promotions group or not, Sony is responsible and can't afford to allow things like this to take place in their name.
Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:55PM (Unverified) said
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 12:27AM (Unverified) said
#129 - This is London is the Entertainment Section of The Evening Standard ... which is owned by the same company that owns The Daily Mail. And it's the same text. So, we're still waiting on confirmation or a debunking of this story.
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 7:21AM (Unverified) said
The article (as in the 'news' piece) itself isn't fake as I have yesterday's Mail on Sunday with me (picked it up from the Tube - no way would I ever pay for a Mail paper). They actually took the chance to take a pop shot at the game itself by 'reviewing' it.
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 8:53AM (Unverified) said
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=17196251&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047
The offending issue of Official Play Station Magazine has been recalled for pulping. Sony spokesman says: "the OPSM description is not a true representation of the event, but nevertheless the imagery and the inaccurate description of the event can cause offence and and have taken action to stop it circulating."
The story as I see it:
Sony's Greek PR gurus went over the top, OPSM wrote it up, the Mail saw the story in OPSM and gave it the treatment, Sony went into damage limitation mode, OPSM 6/07 became a collectors' edition.
The aftermath: OPSM are advertising for a new deputy editor. And the Japanese Goat Marketing Board are still having a hard time of it:
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/asj/2005/00000076/00000004/art00002
The offending issue of Official Play Station Magazine has been recalled for pulping. Sony spokesman says: "the OPSM description is not a true representation of the event, but nevertheless the imagery and the inaccurate description of the event can cause offence and and have taken action to stop it circulating."
The story as I see it:
Sony's Greek PR gurus went over the top, OPSM wrote it up, the Mail saw the story in OPSM and gave it the treatment, Sony went into damage limitation mode, OPSM 6/07 became a collectors' edition.
The aftermath: OPSM are advertising for a new deputy editor. And the Japanese Goat Marketing Board are still having a hard time of it:
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/asj/2005/00000076/00000004/art00002
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 11:04AM (Unverified) said
Wow, that's fucking amazing.
First Sony puts up racists billboards in Holland. Now they're mutilating animals in the UK. All for the glory that is advertising. Sony has to be approving of these advertising methods. At this point, I no longer care about the validity of the company as a whole.
First Sony puts up racists billboards in Holland. Now they're mutilating animals in the UK. All for the glory that is advertising. Sony has to be approving of these advertising methods. At this point, I no longer care about the validity of the company as a whole.
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 11:44AM (Unverified) said
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 11:13PM (Unverified) said
@Chesspain
WTF? mate
WTF? mate
Posted: Apr 30th 2007 11:57PM Paviel said
Hmm... Doc Adams already has two anti-Sony song parodies under his belt... do you reckon this snafu will give him enough material to write a third?
Nah, he probably wouldn't even if he could.
Nah, he probably wouldn't even if he could.
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