Acclaim US has come out fighting following widespread criticism of its upcoming BMX lifestyle title BMX XXX, in the wake of the game being banned by some of America’s key retail chains.
“We believe that there is a general, unfair characterisation of the interactive entertainment industry and as a result, our product is being held to an entirely different standard than other entertainment media with comparable content, including movies, television and radio," asserted Greg Fischbach, CEO of Acclaim Entertainment. "According to NPD's August report, more than 60 percent of all next-generation hardware owners are men over the age of 18, and this combined with the fact that last year's number one selling game was mature rated, fully supports our belief in the demand for this type of content."
"While we acknowledge that we are setting new benchmarks with BMX XXX, we are disappointed that there are groups who fail to see how this humorous product is truly on par with such widely accepted mainstream entertainment experiences, including movies like American Pie, and TV shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City. As a leading publisher, we fully believe that consumers should have a right to choose their entertainment, and with that right comes the importance of responsible consumerism."
Fischbach continued, “This product was not designed for, nor is it being marketed to consumers under the age of 17, and we fully support the Electronic Software Rating Board and encourage consumers to utilise their rating systems to make educated purchases.”
As to whether the trouble BMX XXX caused will stem Acclaim’s increasingly shock-based marketing drive will have to be seen. Generating headlines is one thing, but when that backfires and retailers refuse to buy in one of your key Christmas releases, it’s time for a rethink.
“We believe that there is a general, unfair characterisation of the interactive entertainment industry and as a result, our product is being held to an entirely different standard than other entertainment media with comparable content, including movies, television and radio," asserted Greg Fischbach, CEO of Acclaim Entertainment. "According to NPD's August report, more than 60 percent of all next-generation hardware owners are men over the age of 18, and this combined with the fact that last year's number one selling game was mature rated, fully supports our belief in the demand for this type of content."
"While we acknowledge that we are setting new benchmarks with BMX XXX, we are disappointed that there are groups who fail to see how this humorous product is truly on par with such widely accepted mainstream entertainment experiences, including movies like American Pie, and TV shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City. As a leading publisher, we fully believe that consumers should have a right to choose their entertainment, and with that right comes the importance of responsible consumerism."
Fischbach continued, “This product was not designed for, nor is it being marketed to consumers under the age of 17, and we fully support the Electronic Software Rating Board and encourage consumers to utilise their rating systems to make educated purchases.”
As to whether the trouble BMX XXX caused will stem Acclaim’s increasingly shock-based marketing drive will have to be seen. Generating headlines is one thing, but when that backfires and retailers refuse to buy in one of your key Christmas releases, it’s time for a rethink.
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