SEGA Adds Disclaimer to Aliens Trailers

SEGA Europe has agreed to add disclaimers to trailers for Aliens: Colonial Marines acknowledging that they do not reflect the final game, as a result of a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority by Reddit user subpardave.

The Redditor originally contacted the ASA to complain that trailers for the game that claimed to be in-game footage bore almost no resemblence to the final game, and were misrepresentative. "I submitted my complaint based on the absurd differences between the 'in game' and 'playthorugh' footage that was widely used to advertise A:CM. Of course, the game looked and played NOTHING like what was shown to consumers," he wrote.

The response he received, which was posted in full here, stated that after the ASA contacted SEGA Europe, the publisher agreed to add a disclaimer to Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers, whilst asserting that it was not necessarily the publisher's fault that they were not in line with the final game. "They explained that their online trailers used demo footage, created using the in-game engine," it reads. "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, in some cases several months before release."

It goes on to say that the publisher has agreed to amend the trailers. "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."

The disparity between the in-progress footage of Aliens: Colonial Marines shown to press and public before release and the quality of the final game has been a big talking point since the game was released to widespread disappointment earlier this year. We put together a screenshot gallery highlighting the difference.

The letter from the ASA concludes by saying that "our role in cases like this is to ensure that marketing material isn't likely to materially mislead the public. We consider that with this disclaimer in place, customers are unlikely to get the impression that the trailer shows the finished product, and that the ads are therefore unlikely to mislead."

The case is listed on the ASA website as informally resolved.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

Keza MacDonald is in charge of IGN's games coverage in the UK. You can follow her on IGN and Twitter.

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