Enraged gamers upset by the ending of Mass Effect 3 have accused BioWare of false advertising because the conclusion isn't "completely" shaped by all of the decisions you made throughout the course of the series, and believe it or not, the Better Business Bureau agrees.
Wait… what?!
That's right, based off of the use of "absolutes" in BioWare's marketing, the Better Business Bureau has in fact determined that the company is guilty of false advertising. In a post on the Consumer News and Opinion Blog, Majorie Stephens from the Better Business Bureau explains their reasoning, saying, "The issue at stake here is, did Bio Ware falsely advertise? Technically, yes, they did. In the first bullet point, where it states 'the decisions you make completely shape your experience', there is no indecision in that statement. It is an absolute."
If you're telling me that the use of absolutes is justification for slamming the dev team behind Mass Effect 3 for false advertising, then you clearly haven't turned on the television in quite some time, as a vast majority of today's commercials use similar language. That's called effective marketing, not false advertising. Is it not implied that the use of this language is intended to build hype and excitement for a product, not issue impossible promises that when taken too literally will never live up to expectations?
So what should game publishers and developers take away from all this? According to Stephens, "the lesson to be learned here is companies should give careful consideration to how they word their advertisements. Otherwise, there could be detrimental effects, especially in the era of social media and online forums." In other words, keep your mouths shut, because if you attempt to promote your game, you're bound to piss off someone.
[Via]
