Video game developers and publishers have a marketing team that knows how to sell their titles. But what they show or tell is not always the truth. Sometimes pre-launch video game trailers, demonstration and screenshots can be deceiving, all in the name of hyping up discussions and ramping up sales. It wasn’t all that long ago that UK’s ASA or Advertising Standards Authority attempted to cut down developers and publishers from using CGI cutscenes in hopes that consumers are not persuaded to purchase a video game thinking the CGI cutscene was actual gameplay.
While I absolutely hate the term deceive, developers and publishers have to sell the game, rake in enough pre-orders before the game launches so the truth can be stretched and manipulated. Which video game titles were the biggest offenders of such practices? We have compiled a list of games that we think were visually downgraded compared to their initial showings.
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Watch_Dogs
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Watch Dogs is an open world action-adventure video game that places players on the mean streets of Chicago. Ubisoft demonstrated the world as immersive with players having the ability to hack into practically anything that holds electricity. This game got hit with several delays as Ubisoft struggled with developing the game on six different platforms.
Back during E3 2012, Ubisoft demonstrated a gameplay video of Watch_Dogs which was essentially our first look into the potential of current gen consoles and high end PCs. But upon release, it was drastically different. This resulted into a massive uproar claiming Ubisoft was guilty of false advertising. Even rumors began to spread that the developers purposely downgraded the graphics for the PC version of the game to match the console versions. However unused files were found within the PC version that allowed players to ramp up the visuals although it was no where closer to the E3 2012 build.
