Title: Controversy Surrounds Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Ad Campaign on Xbox’s Homepage
In a surprising collaboration, gaming giant Activision and Microsoft’s Xbox have joined forces to promote the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, the marketing strategy has faced heavy criticism from players, leading to a wave of discontent on social media platforms.
Upon booting up their Xbox consoles, players are now greeted with a full-screen ad featuring Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The ad promotes the game’s upcoming release and presents players with options to “Buy Now”, “Get the Vault Edition Upgrade”, or simply exit the ad. While such ads are not entirely new, the decision to incorporate them to the console’s homepage has sparked backlash, particularly within the United States.
Renowned tech news website The Verge’s Tom Warren expressed his dissatisfaction with Activision and Xbox’s marketing strategy. Reddit users have also voiced their disappointment, describing the stunt as “vomit-inducing” and “unacceptable.”
This is not the first time Microsoft has utilized pop-up ads for game promotions on Xbox’s homepage. Previous campaigns included Starfield and Forza Motorsport, both receiving mixed reactions from players. However, the backlash against the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ads seems to have resonated more strongly among gamers.
Responding to the criticisms, Activision has attributed the game’s large hard drive footprint to the increased content available on its Day 1 release. As players anticipate the launch, some early access players on PlayStation 5 have reported massive file sizes, reaching almost 240GB once the game is installed.
The collaboration between Activision and Xbox aimed to intensify excitement for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but the marketing strategy has undeniably stirred controversy. It remains to be seen whether the negative reactions will impact the game’s overall success or if players’ discontent will be addressed in future marketing campaigns.
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