Homefront balloon 'stunt' draws ire from San Francisco community

by Andrew Yoon on Mar 3rd 2011 7:30PM

We figured that the fake North Korean protest staged during GDC as part of the Homefront marketing campaign was going to draw controversy -- but we couldn't have predicted this debacle. THQ's staged rally, meant to "decry the North Korean regime and the treatment of its citizens," ended in a symbolic release of ten thousand red GameStop-branded balloons. While majestic at first, bad weather quickly deflated the balloons, causing a downpour of promotional garbage directly into the San Francisco bay.

Environmentalists were not pleased, especially when they discovered that the balloons had advertisements attached to them, highlighting the "resistance multiplayer pack," a pre-order bonus. "Obviously, we have a problem with polluting of the bay and this is just polluting and littering," Amy Ricard, a spokeswoman for the environmental group Save the Bay, told SFGate.

GameStop was quick to issue a statement, distancing itself from the poorly-received event. "The balloon drop stunt in San Francisco was created by THQ ... and GameStop had no prior knowledge of it." THQ later issued a statement, confirming GameStop's non-involvement, adding that the balloons were "100 percent organic product and are 100 percent biodegradable."

Although the company promises to clean up its mess, many are still furious at THQ's tasteless promotion. Perhaps THQ should stick to ... taste-ful stunts.

[Photo credit: Mathew Grimm / Special to The Chronicle; source]

Source: SFGate

Tags: balloons, gamestop, homefront, marketing, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, san-francisco, thq, xbox

Homefront Info

Description

The year is 2027. The world as we know it is unraveling after fifteen years of economic meltdown and widespread global conflict over dwindling natural resources. A once proud America has fallen, her infrastructure shattered and military in disarray. Crippled by a devastating EMP strike, the USA is powerless to resist the ever expanding occupation of a savage, nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic. Abandoned by her former allies, the United States is a bleak landscape of walled towns and abandoned suburbs. This is a police state where high school stadiums have become detention centers, and shopping malls shelter armored attack vehicles. A once-free people are now prisoners, or collaborators,or revolutionaries. Join the Resistance, stand united and fight for freedom against an overwhelming military force in Homefront's gripping single player campaign penned by John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn). Stand alongside a cast of memorable characters as an emotional plot unfolds in this terrifyingly plausible near-future world. Experience visceral, cinematic first-person shooter action as you fight your way across Occupied USA using guerrilla tactics, and commandeer military vehicles and advanced drone technology to defeat the enemy. Multiplayer brings epic warfare to the online arena as infantry, tanks, attack helicopters and combat drones battle across huge, open battlefields. A rich feature set offering layers of tactical depth combined with a game-changing innovation in the multiplayer space will set a new benchmark in online warfare.