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[Alexander DeLarge]

Shows a shot of the main character sliding down a pyramid, then a camel pops up and the "this mission is blocked" message appears. Can't embed the animated ad but here it is. You might need to disable adblock if you have it.
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tNB...ads/chorus_asset/file/9430719/gamestop_ad.gif

Polygon's article about it
https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/10/16453336/gamestop-ad-pre-order-assassins-creed-origins

YouTuber YongYea says it better than I ever could (link to the video below)

I feel genuinely irritated by the ignorance and lack of consideration displayed here. In an era where video games are pervaded by despised practices like pre-order bonuses, season passes, gold editions, microtransactions, loot boxes and other forms of greedy and predatory paywalls.... Apparently Gamestop thinks it's funny that consumers are getting screwed over further and further by evolving shady business practices every passing year. Now I've seen everything. Retailers are making jokes about anti-consumerism while blatantly threatening by telling consumers "you're not getting this unless you do what we say", when shit like this can be pulled off so "lightheartedly", you know something about this industry is truly fucked to the core.

https://youtu.be/pL5yGSCjtYw

One of the top comments is pretty good too. "Sorry! My wallet is BLOCKED. I will not be purchasing Assassin's Creed: Origins". Publishers and retailers need to stop giving reasons to avoid their products but at least now they're being honest about blocking access to content in the base game day one.

Just to be clear, shame on the publishers for enabling this nonsense. Gamestop is just being a shitty retailer as usual.

Edit: People keep saying it's fake. Unless someone is paying for fake ads to show up on various websites, I don't see where this is coming from.

Every single outlet that reported on it hasn't retracted the story or has any editorial note saying it's fake and it's on Vox's CDN and appears all over their sites and I've seen it elsewhere too.
https://aotf.com/articles/assassins-creed-origins-gamestop-ad/
https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/10/16453336/gamestop-ad-pre-order-assassins-creed-origins
https://games.mxdwn.com/news/gamestops-new-assassins-creed-origins-add-is-a-low-blow/

Only thing I can find about it being fake is some response on Reddit which is pretty flimsy because the ad doesn't even claim it's their exclusive. A mission that is for pre-orders is more enticing than a retailer exclusive pin.

Put the pitchforks down folks. This is fake. Gamestop's "exclusive" preorder bonus is a 3 inch Fig pin... And if you guys were truly paying attention, you would realize most of the current "exclusive" preorder bonuses have been something physical for a while now. (I.e. Shadows of War, has an axe bottle opener. Forza, has a toy car.) The other things have been free characters that you would have otherwise had to pay for out of pocket otherwise. The extra mission DLC will be included in the box, as an incentive from Ubisoft to buy the game at launch.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/75ani5/aaaaand_this_is_how_you_lose_sales/do4yh0n/

You can see it in YongYea's video (on IGN), I've seen it myself and

You can find it on this page. http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/assassins-creed-origins-bayek-senu-aya

It's real. Just saw the actual ad on my Facebook feed.

Update:

' No, GameStop's Moronic Assassin's Creed Origins Ad ISN'T Fake '
By YongYea:
https://youtu.be/TeqeCPLamJ0

 

[Theorry]

Wasnt that fake?

 

[DoctorFish]

I dunno, at least it's honest.

 

[sjay1994]

Wasnt that fake?

It seems pretty real.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

Wasnt that fake?

I thought so too. It seemed like a parody, but it isn't.

 

[Moff]

I dunno, at least it's honest.

They tell it like it is!

 

[Jigolo]

pickles are disgusting

this isn't

 

[Killyoh]

I admit, I chuckled at the camel's face.

 

[Soul Lab]

It's honest. So why is it disgusting?
The disgusting part isn't the ad...

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Literally disgusting. I threw up just reading your description of the ad. I am shaking rn.

 

[frontovik]

Well, that is the poster to describe the condition of the AAA games of this generation.

 

[Hendrick's]

I find it kind of funny actually.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

It's honest. So why is it disgusting?
The disgusting part isn't the ad...

Because anti-consumer practices have gotten so out of hand and so commonplace that the companies behind them are making jokes about it.

 

[Ibuki]

GameStop does far more anti-consumer things than offering pre-order bonuses.

If anything is disgusting, it's how they treat their work force.

 

[Currygan]

Devs are being disgusting and Gamestop played along with it, not much to get pissed at them honestly

 

[angelic]

Why does everything has to be "disgusting". It's a tasteless advert, nobody died. At least it's honest.

 

[sjay1994]

I do think it's kinda funny that after years of doing this (retailers and myriad of games), the time they decide to be honest about the pre order practice is when people decide to be appalled.

Guess it goes to show people don't like the truth told to them, even though they already knew it.

 

[shimon]

No words...Gaming industry is getting better and better.

 

[Markitron]

GameStop does far more anti-consumer things than offering pre-order bonuses.

If anything is disgusting, it's how they treat their work force.

One thing at a time.

 

[Hazu]

People really complain about anything.

 

[killroy87]

One thing at a time.

Let’s do the employee treatment thing first then. It matter a whole lot more than this, this is stupid.

 

[adamsapple]

Completely honest.

 

[heringer]

It's not disgusting, but it's kind of... dumb? Why would you advertise the game by highlighting the worse aspect of pre order bonuses instead of painting it in a better light?

 

[Rellik]

People really complain about anything.

Gamers will defend anything.

 

[The Albatross]

Why does everything has to be "disgusting". It's a tasteless advert, nobody died. At least it's honest.

this post is gross and you're a bad person




..

Sorry, had to, j/k about you. Your post isn't gross and you're a good person.

That said, it's all relative. This is an enthusiast videogame forum, and I think most of us know that our hobby is less important than, like, people being killed by a gunman or lack of resources for a hurricane-destroyed island, but insofar as it's a videogame forum, there can be a relative level of disgust for advertisements celebrating anti-consumer business practices like exclusive pre-order missions.

 

[Linkura]

Not surprising for this shit-tier company.

 

[E92 M3]

It seems like the definition for disgusting got diluted a long time ago.

 

[Sou Da]

I'm pretty sure the "joke" of the ad is an adblock joke.

 

[Uno Venova]

Let’s do the employee treatment thing first then. It matter a whole lot more than this, this is stupid.

Make a thread then.

 

[digitalrelic]

Disgusting... lol. Find something more worthwhile to be outraged about.

 

[RichiRamjag]

Literally disgusting. I threw up just reading your description of the ad. I am shaking rn.

Shaking?

 

[Peterthumpa]

People really complain about anything.

Exactly. It's disgusting but no more disgusting than companies doing the same thing, only in a subtler manner, which is way shadier in my opinion. I mean, think about all the parents buying games to their kids, at least this is being marketed with a level of honesty rarely seem in this industry nowadays.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Is that even real? And if it is well I respect the honesty at least.

I want to see "Pre-order now, or go fuck yourself".

 

[adamsapple]

Surprised more people here are getting outraged over GS putting out an honest ad instead of the company enabling this kind of segregation of the game's content in the first place.

 

[Duchess O'Death]

I don't know if it's real but it's funny.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Surprised more people here are getting outraged over GS putting out an honest ad instead of the company enabling this kind of segregation of the game's content in the first place.

Yep, that is the problem imo. not the ad.

 

[angelic]

this post is gross and you're a bad person




..

Sorry, had to, j/k about you. Your post isn't gross and you're a good person.

That said, it's all relative. This is an enthusiast videogame forum, and I think most of us know that our hobby is less important than, like, people being killed by a gunman or lack of resources for a hurricane-destroyed island, but insofar as it's a videogame forum, there can be a relative level of disgust for advertisements celebrating anti-consumer business practices like exclusive pre-order missions.

Ha, you got me.

I just think it's better to reserve words like "disgusting" for things that really are, like that Weinstein rape news. Over using it on a preorder bonus advert robs it of it's power.

 

[Nester99]

Outrage culture is outrageous!

 

[zoodoo]

People really complain about anything.

People really defend anything.

 

[Ctlead]

Surely this is a joke?

 

[PMS341]

Gamestop is one of the reasons "preorder bonuses" still even happen. Where do you think the incentive comes from?

Still. This is sort of a "You can't do anything about this" sort of situation from the marketing side of things. Pretty sad.

 

[franklyshankly]

Wow that ad was actually real? I thought it was fake.

 

[jett]

I fail to see the big deal.

 

[kaishek]

Outrage culture is outrageous!

I think outrage is absolutely vital when it comes to fighting corporate power and its abuses. This is, of course, mild compared to kids working in limestone mines in Africa, but it does still steam me up.

 

[LordOcidax]

That cant be real....

 

[Goldenroad]

It's certainly their right. Whether there is much tact involved is up for debate. What's not up for debate though is that I feel less bad about missions being locked behind pre-orders, when I end up buying the game for $20 on sale down the line. So whatever, if you're going to buy the game for full price anyway, might as well pre-order and get the extra mission...at least at Gamestop you can throw $5 down on it and if the reviews are garbage, you just change that over to a different game and you really aren't out anything.

 

[benicillin]

It's a dumb sidebar ad.

We should return to the days of when video game ads were actually disgusting.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

Wasnt that fake?

Buy the season pass to find out!

 

[Caayn]

At least they're being honest about it.

 

[PMS341]

It's a dumb sidebar ad.

We should return to the days of when video game ads were actually disgusting.

SEGA knew what was up, though.