Dante's Inferno team apologizes for 'Sin to Win' booth babe contest

by Griffin McElroy on Jul 26th 2009 3:30PM

A lot of folks were understandably upset by EA and Visceral Games' San Diego Comic Con contest promoting Dante's Inferno. It probably had something to do with the fact that it objectified women in a brutish, almost caveman-esque manner. Your protests were heard -- the game's creators recently published a clarification of the contest rules, and apologized for "any confusion and offense that resulted from our choice of wording."

It's nice that they responded to the negative sentiment this stupid, stupid promotional stunt created, but this kind of undercuts their whole "Circles of Hell" marketing campaign, doesn't it? Apologies just aren't very hellish. We can't imagine Beelzebub begs pardon from those he makes swim through a sea of fire and brimstone for all eternity. "Oh, man. That looks like it hurts. I'm like, really sorry about this, guys. Do you want some aloe?"

[Via Kotaku]

Source

Tags: apology, booth-babes, contest, dantes-inferno, ea, Electronic-Arts, lust, sdcc-2009, visceral-games

Reader Comments (159)

Well, between this and the fake christian protest, I guess those PR guys succeeded drawing a lot of attention to the game. Just ironic that both were due to the offended reaction rather than the stunt itself.

any media is good media for a game like this. anytime they can differentiate it from god of war is good for them

This games concept offends me. Taking a classic and turning into a Simpsons-like parody of the stereotypes the videogame industry faces. Why not just come up with a generic name for this GOW wanna be?

Agreed Baron.

It's like the PR for 99% of the industry is holding their cards to their chest, even denying hands they've played before, while these idiots are dropping cards out of their sleeves and apologizing for it as they still try to play them.

It's nearly a Washington-caliber non apology.

Wait, so you mean I wont get a chance at a date with a real live woman? Damnit! I was so close!

a woman? woah, those exist?
i thought they were only video games.
could it be? they've made a real life cortana program?
or do you mean those mythical curved creates that appear in some other games?
dont get too close now, you might hurt yourself.

Don't bother, they're still flawed. They have wild emotional outbursts for no reason.

Don't trust anything that bleeds for 4 days and lives.

Sir, that's just innapropiate and sexist. I mean, it's not like this entry is about anything that could possibly demean women in any way or form! But no, you went there. You crossed the line. You said something completely sexist and rude. I hope you're happy with your self.

@ The Aquacharger (PSN:Elvenmonk)

In case you haven't noticed-this is the internet. Hungry much?

Are these guys gonna do something stupid and then apoligize at every big convention?

Why not? We're still talking about the game, so the marketing is obviously working.

First the fake protest, now this dumb crap. Desperation stinks! Whatever happened to releasing promo videos of the actual game?

that's funny cause the contest makes no sense with "sin to win" that's a very general and in many ways stupid thing to say its a random drawing contest not a contest to see who could commit the foulest of sins its ridiculous really they should apologize for even making the game any who ever read all three books can tell you it cannot become a game that and Dante was wearing pajamas and wasn't carrying a a scythe

just play devil may cry 3 and read the books if you can that is ahahah (pompous ass laugh )

First, Dante's Inferno CAN be made into a game, just not a very good one. Which is why they are taking these liberties with the source material.

Second, if Divine Comedy is THAT precious to you, then buy a copy, move to your basement, fap all over it, and ignore anything that ever references it because it will NEVER come close to this mental masturbatory pedestral you've built for it.

Third, Sacred Cows (ala shit people hold WAY too precious) are the single most annoying character flaw of anyone. Mainly because this means your focus is narrow, tragically so. And this also means that, unfortunately, you see a select few things as truly original as opposed to derivatives that everything truly is. Which makes you often look like an uneducated jackass.

Actually shep, his complete lack of coherence and punctuation make him look like a jackass as well.

really Shep? I mean, battling 3 headed Satan as a final boss is worth the price of admission alone

Tell you what, mop. Hunt up the Commodore 64 Dante's Inferno which is the much more direct retelling...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbuUCBCH9L0

I don't think they had anything to apologize for. It may not have been a great idea, but they have nobody to apologize to. The apology is much more offensive than the promotion.

I think it was more tasteless in the fact that it did nothing to help the image of gamers as being fatty nerds who couldn't get a girlfriend if their lives depended on it.

Those who look for conspiracy will find it. What this means is simple. If you see this promotion as reenforcing a stereotype of fatty nerds who can't get laid, that's all on you, chief. Maybe you're the fatty nerd lusting over your fellow cashier, sneaking sniffs of hair every chance you can get?

Because "win a date" contest have been around LONG LONG before gaming, even. Hell, date auctions are a regular fundraiser among high society. And what was that romantic comedy everyone's girlfriend dragged their guys to? Even mine? Win a Date with Ted Hamilton? Why yes it was.

In other words, what you saw as reenforcing a stereotype is ALL on you Fatty McFatterfatfatnerdleton.

@sheppy that's some pretty hilarious projection you have going on there.

Wow. Take 'er easy dude.

It's also a realistic one too. It's only as offensive as you make it.

Shep, you are the bomb dude... and I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. (Maybe you have some explosive diarrhea coming?)

hahaha everything in that image is horrible

women in a ridiculously sexual pose, "the hottest girl at comic-con", and the promise of "booty"

what the hell did they think would happen?

Yeah, the "hottest girl" is subjective. I can imagine it being like "Yay, I won but I'd rather be with THAT girl."

Be better if they had them in a fenced off field and you got to choose two of them. Like cattle!

I think if you were going to really degrade them like that, there should be more than two and you should pepper in more words like "stable" or "buffet".

Is it sad that, at a convention where girls are basically whoring themselves out for attention in Wonder Woman costumes and bodysuits, that somehow this promotion crossed a line of some sort? Very very sad.

Yeah, that's a very good point. The only reason this crossed the line is because they're offering women as a prize. God knows we can't do that, because it's sexist. Nevermind the fact they signed up to be prizes.

Yeah, can someone point to me in the federal, state, or local laws where you have the right to not ever be offended by anything? thanks.

It's not that he's proving he's smarter (no one can prove that over the internet) he's pointing out how silly it is to be offended over something that's been done several times over. That's even a tradition in high school. I know my high school had the female auction for clubs.

Yes Sheppy. DAMN YOU AND YOUR RUN ON SENTENCES, HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME ASHAMED AT THE FACT THAT I DROPPED OUT OF PRESCHOOL TO TAKE CARE OF THE COUSIN THAT I IMPREGNATED

All you have to do to prove you're smarter than peternography is to satand upright.

That was either a horrible pun or just an absolute failure.

Oh perternography, you just encroached on the first rule of shep. As it applies in this scenario.

"So shall it be written, so shall it be said. The fool who marches upon sheps troll attempts with heart in hand and cock in ass shall henceforth be trolled harder. Until which time as whiny emo bitch cuts his wrists and we all drink in his misery... like that one scene in Interview with a Vampire... that had Antonio Bandares... who was in The Mexican with Johnny Depp.. and what the hell was I on about? And so forth..."

Agreed Shep. I'm more offended that they would even offer these useless tramps as real prizes. Flesh is a dime a dozen these days, that can keep them and give me a console instead.

This game is a complete joke. I haven't read the books, but it's shameless the way EA exploits and demeans it's subject material and it's customers.

This promotion is based of the second layer which is sex/lust. All the promotions have been dealing with the different layers of hell. It in no way demeans Dante's Inferno.

" I haven't read the books, but it's shameless the way EA exploits and demeans it's subject material.."

which Im sure you're very, VERY familiar with, no?

Are you serious? You don't find the contest ad demeaning or shameless at ALL? Seems pretty blatant to me.

Not really. Auto shows do this. High school's auction women off for club funding. We're saying it does not tarnish or ruin Dante's Inferno (how would you know if you've not read it). If anything, this is the only way to advertise the lust layer without having people fucking in the middle of the streets.

you seem to be under the impression that if it weren't for this contest, people would not have been asking to take pictures of themselves with scantily clad women dressed up as Dr. Girlfriend

Also, whats so bad about being shameless? I'd rather them go out and carry out this contest instead of them apologizing.

If Dr. Girlfriend is in her Mrs. The Monarch outfit I'd totally get a picture of me with her.

Just because high school clubs do it, does not mean it's not demeaning. People in the 1800s auctioned and sold slaves, does not mean it was demeaning. The whole contest turned human beings into prizes, and it does not matter whether the women chose to go through with it, the fact remains that they were turned into prizes.

I'm not going to lie. I love their advertisements for this game. I can't wait for the other layers.

Look, how is this offensive? If these women agreed to do it for money, then they are simply doing a job. If you don't like people doing certain things for money, then maybe you should start a company and hire them for jobs you consider appropriate. Otherwise, STFU.

FYI, I will do any degrading thing if the price is right, just sayin.

Sir, MTV (and TV in general) proved anyone would whore them sleves out for money. How many people ate horse dick on Fear Factor just for 50k? There was the one show on MTV where they walked up to random people and had them do random things for money.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 220 comments
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 153 comments
David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 108 comments
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments
Battleship movie adapted into FPS by Double Helix 93 comments

Dante's Inferno team apologizes for 'Sin to Win' booth babe contest

Reader Comments (159)

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:33PM Haggard said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:34PM nadomars said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:46PM The Wicker Man said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:23PM DerickDBrown said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 8:47PM chispito said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:37PM Worsel said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:00PM mynk said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:03PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 7:07PM mrmobius said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 7:11PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 27th 2009 2:36AM wellsley said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:38PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:46PM freaparn said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:39PM captplut9465 said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:42PM peternography said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:53PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:04PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:24PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 8:16PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:42PM johnperkins21 said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:42PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:58PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:02PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:12PM The Wicker Man said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:12PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:22PM AdamSpruijt said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 3:45PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:47PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:49PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 7:59PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:02PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:08PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:10PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:48PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:00PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:10PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:16PM Shmil said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 7:57PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 8:48PM President Taco said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:03PM Ricky Bango said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:07PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:41PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:54PM Ricky Bango said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:01PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:05PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:08PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 8:33PM heyImWyatt said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:05PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:08PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 4:14PM The Aquacharger said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Double Fine Kickstarter passes $1 million in under 24 hours, breaking yet another record

Featured Stories

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier brings information warfare to the front

Rhythm Heaven Fever review: Crazy into you

Remedy not done with Alan Wake

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days