Skip to main content

Sega forced to add badge of shame to its UK ‘Aliens: Colonial Marines’ trailers

Aliens
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gearbox Software and Sega were not exactly forthright about Aliens: Colonial Marines prior to its release. Footage of guided demos of its campaign show a demonstrably different game than what was ultimately sold on consoles and PCs in February. During a demo session with the game in November, Gearbox told us that a number of features that would end up in the final game – like randomized item placement – weren’t in the final product. Even the trailers were misleading. That’s why Sega now has to put a disclaimer on all of the promotional materials out there for the game. 

One disgruntled UK player, disappointed with the game and frustrated by the way it was presented compared to what was actually released, contacted the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency regarding Aliens: Colonial Marines. His goal was to not receive compensation but to hold Sega and other game publishers accountable for selling subpar wares under false pretenses. “Gearbox and Sega spoke very clearly – by saying absolutely nothing – and showed the purchasing community that would rather [Aliens] quietly disappear,” reads a statement from the player on Reddit, “The games industry, like any other, needs to be held accountable for blatantly deceiving the consumer.”

The ASA in turn contacted Sega in regards to the complaint. Sega, as it’s done with almost all inquiries related to Aliens: Colonial Marines, did not itself respond nor did Gearbox Software. However, Sega is now at least amending promotional videos of the game on YouTube, its websites, and other outlets online.

“Sega explained that their online trailers used demo footage, created using the in-game engine,” reads a letter from the ASA, “Sega Europe understood the objections raised about the quality of the game in relation to the trailers but explained that they weren’t aware of these issues when the trailers were produced.”

“Sega Europe acknowledged your objection that the trailers did not accurately reflect the final content of the game. They agreed to add a disclaimer, both on their website and in all relevant YouTube videos, which explains that the trailers depict footage of the demo versions of the game. The disclaimer will be visible when each online trailer is played.”

It’s a small concession made by the publisher in the wake of one of its worst received releases in years. Gearbox Software, however, has still never publicly acknowledged how misleading the demos of the game shown to press ahead of the game’s release were.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
Get 15% off this extremely comfortable Razer gaming chair
Razer - Iskur Gaming Chair.

If you want an extremely comfortable experience while you're playing your favorite video games, you should set aside some cash to invest in a quality gaming chair. Here's a premium option that you wouldn't regret buying -- the Razer Iskur gaming chair, which is on sale from Razer with a 15% discount that pulls its price down to just $510 from $600. There's no telling how much time is remaining before the savings of $90 get taken down though, so if you're interested in this bargain, you're going to have to complete your purchase right away.

Why you should buy the Razer Iskur gaming chair
The Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair is now available, but the first model, the Razer Iskur gaming chair, remains a worthwhile purchase today. Its ergonomic design features a built-in, fully adjustable lumbar curve that supports your spine, instead of other gaming chairs' lumbar pillows that shift over time, as well as a memory foam head cushion. The Razer Iskur gaming chair is also wrapped in multi-layered synthetic leather that's not only tougher than the standard PU leather, but also more comfortable, and its high-density foam cushions that mold to your body shape while still providing the proper support.

Read more
This bundle deal saves you $1,000 on an Alienware PC and monitor
An Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop alongside a gaming monitor on a desk.

You don't have to go through gaming PC deals and monitor deals yourself because there are bundles like this one from Dell -- the Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop and the Alienware 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor for a package price of $2,900, which is $1,000 less the original price of $3,900. It's still not cheap, but you'll be getting a top-of-the-line gaming rig with just one purchase. You'll have to hurry with the transaction though, as we're not sure if the bundle will still cost cheaper than usual by tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R15 gaming PC and 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor
It's the Alienware Aurora R16 that sits on top of our list of the best gaming PCs, but its predecessor, the Alienware Aurora R15, remains a worthwhile purchase because of the power that it packs. It's equipped with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X processor, AMD Radeon RX 7900 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM that's the sweet spot for high-end gamers, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. These specifications make it more than enough to run the best PC games without any issues. The gaming desktop also features a 1TB SSD for ample storage space, and it comes with Windows 11 Home pre-installed.

Read more
Marvel Rivals turns Overwatch into the Earth’s mightiest superhero shooter
A lot of heroes fight in Marvel Rivals

The “hero shooter” is a popular competitive multiplayer game subgenre where players control characters with powerful preset abilities rather than a customizable loadout. Although "hero" is right there in the subgenre name, and Overwatch proved how well superheroes could work with the concept, we haven't gotten a true attempt at this style of game from Marvel or DC.

Marvel Rivals is out to change that, starting with its first open alpha this May.

Read more