In order to promote the release of Black Ops 3, a controversial Call of Duty campaign was launched on Twitter.
The social account began tweeting messages like: "BREAKING NEWS: Unconfirmed reports are coming in of an explosion on the North bank of the Singapore Marina," essentially creating buzz about a fake terrorist attack. This continued with a series of tweets, which escalated to describe declarations of martial law, military drones being deployed and shots fired. Following all these tweets, it was revealed that: "This was a glimpse into the future fiction of #BlackOps3."
Much of the public was outraged by the social media stunt, especially since the handles, account photos and bio were changed to look like a reputable news source. As outraged as the public might have been, it drove tons of attention to the stunt and the new game.
Terrorist Gaming Campaigns
This Call of Duty Campaign Announced a Fictional Attack on Singapore
Trend Themes
1. Controversial Gaming Campaigns - Opportunities for disruptive innovation exist in creating attention-grabbing and controversial campaigns that generate buzz for new video game releases.
2. Simulated Terrorist Attacks - Disruptive innovation can be explored in creating simulated terrorist attack campaigns within the gaming industry to generate excitement and engage players.
3. In-game Social Media Integration - Integrating fictional social media accounts into video games allows for innovative storytelling and immersive experiences that can capture the audience's attention.
Industry Implications
1. Video Game Marketing - The video game marketing industry can explore disruptive innovations in creating controversial campaigns that push boundaries to promote new releases.
2. Virtual Reality Gaming - Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in the virtual reality gaming industry by simulating realistic and immersive in-game terrorist attack scenarios.
3. Social Media Platforms - Social media platforms can develop innovative ways to integrate fictional accounts within video games, creating interactive experiences that blur the lines between reality and virtual entertainment.