Trivia Browser
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Baldur's Gate 3 was originally revealed with a CGI trailer at a conference for the Google Stadia cloud gaming service in June 2019 as part of an Early Access exclusivity deal that would ultimately be cancelled when Stadia was shut down in 2023. The game's director Swen Vincke touted the service at the time for its purported accessibility, and the potential for in-game community feedback to directly affect the game's development and playthroughs via Stadia's Crowd Choice feature. However, Vincke later expressed regret over having the game be revealed this way, calling it "a really stupid deal" due to the challenges of releasing an Early Access build to a second platform, but that "it allowed me to pay for the CGI."
Baldur's Gate 3 Stadia Announcement:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/06/baldurs-gate-3-officially-announced-for-pc-and-google-stadia
Stadia-Exclusive Features:
https://www.ign.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-stadia-exclusive-features-early-access-contents-release
Stadia Reveal Regret:
https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-founder-on-working-with-google-stadia-for-baldurs-gate-3-it-was-a-really-stupid-deal
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/06/baldurs-gate-3-officially-announced-for-pc-and-google-stadia
Stadia-Exclusive Features:
https://www.ign.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-stadia-exclusive-features-early-access-contents-release
Stadia Reveal Regret:
https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-founder-on-working-with-google-stadia-for-baldurs-gate-3-it-was-a-really-stupid-deal
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In a 1984 commercial promoting Donkey Kong-brand cereal, Mario can be heard with a distinctly Italian accent, even saying what would become one of Mario's catchphrases "Here We Go". This predates Charles Martinet portraying Mario with an Italian accent by 7 years.
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Simon Belmont was originally slated to be revealed for Super Smash Flash 2 on August 10th, 2018 during that year's Super Smash Con event. Coincidentially, Simon would be announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate two days later in an August 8th Nintendo Direct. The trailer for Super Smash Flash 2 would poke fun at the timing of the two announcements.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Simon and Richter reveal trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VrbkoWUyIg
Super Smash Flash 2 - Simon trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQrVkb97rc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VrbkoWUyIg
Super Smash Flash 2 - Simon trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQrVkb97rc
Company: Atari SA
subdirectory_arrow_right Infogrames Entertainment SA (Company)
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In 2001, Infogrames Entertainment SA produced a corporate anthem entitled "Infogrames Rocks My World", which was used at industry events starting with E3 2001 as part of a heavy marketing push to promote their slate of IPs after a series of acquisitions throughout the 1990s. According to YouTuber Larry Bundy Jr. during a video researching the development and release controversies surrounding the game Driv3r, Infogrames' public relations division reportedly spent $50,000 creating the song, but due to the song being relentlessly mocked following its reveal, everyone involved with the song's production was reportedly fired. While Bundy also claimed that the song was first leaked to the Internet by a disgruntled Driv3r developer in 2004, the song was actually distributed by Infogrames to other gaming news outlets as part of digital press kits. The earliest known upload of the song appears to be by software developer Phil Bak to his personal website sometime during or immediately after E3 2001 in May, and the earliest known surviving upload is through a 2001 IGN article covering Infogrames' Gamers' Day press event in August. The song was later uploaded to ZDNET in 2002 on a special article ranking it at #9 on a list of their Top 20 Corporate IT Anthems.
Infogrames Entertainment SA's PR department - "Infogrames Rocks My World":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEQOv2g0JA#t=1041
Larry Bundy Jr. video on Driv3r development and release controversies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEQOv2g0JA
3000 AD forum post of the Phil Bak link to the song days after E3 2001:
https://www.3000ad.com/forum/topic/7001147-infogrames-e3-theme-song/
2001 IGN article and embedded link to the song:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/08/infogrames-state-of-the-union-at-gamers-day
https://pcmedia.ign.com/media/news/sound/infogrames.mp3
2002 ZDNET Top 20 IT Anthems archived article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20021004141104/http://www.zdnet.co.uk/specials/2002/it-anthems/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEQOv2g0JA#t=1041
Larry Bundy Jr. video on Driv3r development and release controversies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEQOv2g0JA
3000 AD forum post of the Phil Bak link to the song days after E3 2001:
https://www.3000ad.com/forum/topic/7001147-infogrames-e3-theme-song/
2001 IGN article and embedded link to the song:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/08/infogrames-state-of-the-union-at-gamers-day
https://pcmedia.ign.com/media/news/sound/infogrames.mp3
2002 ZDNET Top 20 IT Anthems archived article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20021004141104/http://www.zdnet.co.uk/specials/2002/it-anthems/
subdirectory_arrow_right Pokémon (Franchise)
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Early in the Pokémon franchise's life, the Poliwhirl line recieved a major push in marketing, comparable to that of series mascot Pikachu. Mascot costumes were made of Poliwhirl for promotional events, the Pokémon Adventures manga featured Poliwhirl as one of Red's Pokémon, Poliwag was placed closely to Pikachu on the box art of Pokémon Snap, food and toy lines would near-consistently feature a member of the Poliwhirl line alongside Pikachu even when the pool of Pokémon was as limited as 3 or 4 (with exceptions primarily being ones that also lacked Pikachu), and, most famously, Poliwhirl appeared on the center of the cover of TIME Magazine's issue adressing the popularity of Pokémon.
This could be related to Poliwag being Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri's favourite of the original 151 Kanto species.
Comedic video about bizarre Pokémon merchandise showing off many instances of Poliwhirl and Poliwrath merchandise - the nature of Poliwhirl's "mascot" status is discussed at the 13:06 mark:
https://youtu.be/Gri7-XW3no8
ResetEra thread about Poliwhirl that opens with multiple images of Poliwhirl memorabilia:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/pokemons-bygone-mascot.763622/
Video from a Kellogg's fan channel featuring box scans and commercials for Pokémon cereal with Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/4kEnxp0ihPI
Pop Tarts commercial featuring Poliwrath toys:
https://youtu.be/oKw6l1Skglc
Kraft Mac & Cheese advert featuring Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/Sj5lfgEz_bU
Video featuring a photo of a Poliwhirl mascot:
https://youtu.be/KR5oKvYi_PQ
KFC and Heinz commercials for promotions featuring neither, Poliwhirl nor Pikachu:
https://youtu.be/9HCDPTQGmrI
https://youtu.be/nNc1xl8uoMA
Tajiri talks Poliwag:
https://youtu.be/gplIo-J9Ttc?si=vXRHECazu6kGu4IQ&t=433
https://youtu.be/Gri7-XW3no8
ResetEra thread about Poliwhirl that opens with multiple images of Poliwhirl memorabilia:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/pokemons-bygone-mascot.763622/
Video from a Kellogg's fan channel featuring box scans and commercials for Pokémon cereal with Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/4kEnxp0ihPI
Pop Tarts commercial featuring Poliwrath toys:
https://youtu.be/oKw6l1Skglc
Kraft Mac & Cheese advert featuring Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/Sj5lfgEz_bU
Video featuring a photo of a Poliwhirl mascot:
https://youtu.be/KR5oKvYi_PQ
KFC and Heinz commercials for promotions featuring neither, Poliwhirl nor Pikachu:
https://youtu.be/9HCDPTQGmrI
https://youtu.be/nNc1xl8uoMA
Tajiri talks Poliwag:
https://youtu.be/gplIo-J9Ttc?si=vXRHECazu6kGu4IQ&t=433
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In 1993, Alfred Chicken publisher Mindscape attempted a publicity stunt by having Alfred Chicken run for a seat in the UK Parliament in the 1993 Christchurch, Dorset by-election, having an actor in an Alfred Chicken costume appear at the British House of Commons constituency of Christchurch as votes were read out. The Alfred Chicken Party ranked at second last with 18 votes, exceeding the Rainbow Alliance (a party intent on abolishing Parliament) by 2 votes. The Alfred Chicken Party was cited - alongside the "Buy The Daily Sport Party" - years later by the Liberal Democrats as a reason for increasing the number of signatures required for a party to get on a ballot.
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In late 2018, a trailer for the film's sequel "Ralph Breaks the Internet" premiered on TV as part of Disney Channel's "Movie Surfers" series. The first half of the trailer used almost 40 seconds of cutscenes from the 2012 Wii game based on the first movie, and used unreleased higher quality renders of these cutscenes rather than the compressed footage released in the game. This trailer also features a noticeably bad, ad-libbed narration from an unknown actor portraying Ralph; this actor does not sound like the original film's actor John C. Reilly, nor the soundalike actor used in the Wii game and commercials Brian T. Delaney. Considering the overall confusing cheapness of the trailer, it's not known why the show's producers chose to use unreleased HD renders of these cutscenes instead of footage from the first film, which they had to have had access to and would have matched the visual quality of the film's sequel better.
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On January 11, 2023, the game's official Thai Facebook page posted an advertisement that was quickly met with backlash from the Thai player community. The ad depicted a player engaging in the game due to him not enjoying his birthday party. Entranced by the anime characters' buttocks physics in an erratic manner, his behavior gets interrupted and questioned by a partygoer who gives him his birthday cake with candles. He then wishes for the characters Anis, Rapi, and Marian to appear in real life, and in a vision prior to blowing out the candles, the three arrive in his home and proceed to twerk in front of him, simulating the game's attack animations. The advertisement was heavily criticized for depicting the player base as perverts who only play the game for the attractive characters, prompting the developers to issue an official apology in Thai and take down the ad. However, the removal of the ad caused another round of backlash from a different part of the fanbase, one that was already upset with the developers after a new character costume had been released with more clothing than initial leaks for a winter holiday event had suggested, leading to accusations of censorship. Reportedly, some fans even went as far as to say that there was nothing wrong with the ad for "being honest about why some players are attracted to the game."
The advertisement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hZkFLmIGDA
Initial controversy:
https://sea.ign.com/nikke-the-goddess-of-victory/194210/news/nikki-devs-took-down-controversial-advertisement-video-after-thai-playerbase-backlash
Counter-backlash:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7gywq/mobile-game-takes-down-ad-portraying-its-players-as-horny-nerds
Quote source:
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/removed-game-ad-featuring-player-salivating-over-jiggle-physics-sparks-fan-outcry/1100-6510671/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hZkFLmIGDA
Initial controversy:
https://sea.ign.com/nikke-the-goddess-of-victory/194210/news/nikki-devs-took-down-controversial-advertisement-video-after-thai-playerbase-backlash
Counter-backlash:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7gywq/mobile-game-takes-down-ad-portraying-its-players-as-horny-nerds
Quote source:
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/removed-game-ad-featuring-player-salivating-over-jiggle-physics-sparks-fan-outcry/1100-6510671/
subdirectory_arrow_right Ace Attorney (Franchise)
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According to series creator Shu Takumi in a 2017 interview, Capcom executives issued two mandates affecting the writing of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. The first mandate was that the game had to include Phoenix Wright in the story, which went against Takumi's original idea for a reset of the series. The second mandate was to incorporate the Lay Judge system, a real-life judicial system, into the story, resulting in the creation of Spoiler:the MASON System game program and the trial run of a new Jurist System in the game's last case "Turnabout Succession". The Ace Attorney series began as a critique of how Japan's legal system handles criminal offenses, but around this time, that system was changing. While Japan previously suspended an older jurist system in 1943, their legislative body, the National Diet, gradually implemented a new lay judge system (裁判員, or "Saiban-in") from 2004 to 2009. This system, resembling more democratic systems in North American and European countries, calls upon six random common citizens to serve in serious criminal trials as inquisitorial judges sitting alongside three professional judges. Together they make up the judicial panel and actively analyze and investigate evidence presented to them throughout the trial before ruling on guilt and sentencing. Reflecting this, Spoiler:the Jurist System seen at the end of Turnabout Succession is made up of six random jurors guided by Phoenix Wright, where the player from the sixth juror's perspective has to rule the defendant Guilty or Not Guilty.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been largely attributed to the length of lay judge trials and even the length of pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving in the first place, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been largely attributed to the length of lay judge trials and even the length of pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving in the first place, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Apollo Justice dev team 2007 interview:
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
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At one point, the official Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube releases of the song "Bone Yard" from Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy opened with a GEICO insurance commercial as part of the song. This seemed to have not been part of its initial upload in 2017, and has since been fixed.
Two Reddit posts and a Twitter thread talking about the same error:
https://www.reddit.com/r/crashbandicoot/comments/kfcpqo/does_anyone_know_why_there_is_a_geico_ad_and_a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/crashbandicoot/comments/l7nt6h/the_song_bone_yard_in_the_trilogy_sound_track_has/
https://twitter.com/mantia/status/1390844805874286594
https://www.reddit.com/r/crashbandicoot/comments/kfcpqo/does_anyone_know_why_there_is_a_geico_ad_and_a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/crashbandicoot/comments/l7nt6h/the_song_bone_yard_in_the_trilogy_sound_track_has/
https://twitter.com/mantia/status/1390844805874286594
Platform: Xbox One
subdirectory_arrow_right PlayStation 4 (Platform)
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In 2019, UK bargain store Aldi attempted a publicity stunt known as the "Teatime Takedown", where parents would send Aldi their childrens' usernames on gaming platforms (with the service being provided for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, and unusually the streaming platform Twitch) and the supermarket would send professional gamers to defeat the child in-game so they would eat their food, though Aldi claimed that the effectiveness of the program may vary. Despite a released commercial for the campaign showing children "rage quitting" FPS games, the hired eSports teams, originating from Veloce, specialized in racing games. This sparked massive backlash within the UK eSports community, to the point where Resolve eSports offered to send its players to help kids fight back against the bullies. Aldi would eventually cancel the campaign and send coupons to those who complained as a form of apology. Print adverts were made, but are not known to have been printed in any magazines or catalogues, and radio and till reciept ads were planned.
General overview:
https://esports-news.co.uk/2019/03/26/aldi-teatime-takedown-campaign/
Twin Galaxies article mentioning Twitch:
https://www.twingalaxies.com/feed_details.php/4688/aldi-uk-avertises-online-gaming-hit-squad-for-parents
Resolve eSports' offer to help:
https://esports-news.co.uk/2019/03/14/barrage-fights-back-aldi-campaign/
Official page for Teatime Takedown:
https://www.aldi.co.uk/teatime-takedown
Aldi press release:
https://www.lbbonline.com/news/aldi-uk-hires-pro-gamers-in-mission-to-bring-back-family-dinner-time
Article mentioning Veloce's involvement:
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/uk-supermarket-aldi-reveal-bully-hunters-style-ad-campaign-get-kids-off-games-449064/
Veloce's eSports website:
https://www.veloce.gg/gaming
https://esports-news.co.uk/2019/03/26/aldi-teatime-takedown-campaign/
Twin Galaxies article mentioning Twitch:
https://www.twingalaxies.com/feed_details.php/4688/aldi-uk-avertises-online-gaming-hit-squad-for-parents
Resolve eSports' offer to help:
https://esports-news.co.uk/2019/03/14/barrage-fights-back-aldi-campaign/
Official page for Teatime Takedown:
https://www.aldi.co.uk/teatime-takedown
Aldi press release:
https://www.lbbonline.com/news/aldi-uk-hires-pro-gamers-in-mission-to-bring-back-family-dinner-time
Article mentioning Veloce's involvement:
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/uk-supermarket-aldi-reveal-bully-hunters-style-ad-campaign-get-kids-off-games-449064/
Veloce's eSports website:
https://www.veloce.gg/gaming
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Prior to a 2020 Nintendo Treehouse presentation, primarily intended to show off Paper Mario: The Origami King, it was announced that a new game from developer WayForward would be shown off in the presentation. Due to WayForward's reputation for platformer titles such as the Shantae series and the recent release of Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring the Legend of Zelda seemingly signifying an interest from Nintendo in indie collaborations, many fans expected the showcase to present a revival of a dormant Nintendo platforming IP such as Kid Icarus or Wario Land. In a futile attempt to temper expectations, Nintendo would vaguely clarify that the game was based on a "third party IP", redirecting speculation towards other companies' gaming IPs. When the presentation came, the game was revealed to be Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia, one of the licensed children's games that make up the vast majority of WayForward's gamography, which disappointed many, causing the Bakugan toyline to trend on Twitter and gaining the reveal trailer 3,500 dislikes against 1,500 likes on YouTube.
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The UK children's gaming TV show Bad Influence did major marketing work for Rise of the Robots, devoting a large chunk of its Christmas special to the game and designing a new opening sequence based on Rise. Ironically, when the game launched, Bad Influence gave the game an extremely low score, much like most other gaming publications that were hyping up the game.
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When Sonic Prime was released on Netflix, GameFam Studios, the development team behind Sonic Speed Simulator, inserted officially-licensed Sonic Prime product placement into their other games on Roblox - however, this included the unauthorized Friday Night Funkin' fangame Funky Friday, which they would not legally be allowed to make paid content or promotions in. Friday Night Funkin' creator ninja_muffin99 has expressed interest in taking legal action against GameFam and Sega, though later specified that it would not be through a lawsuit. It is unknown if any legal action has or will be taken.
subdirectory_arrow_right Dreamcast (Platform)
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Despite Floigan Bros. being initially developed prior to the Dreamcast's release in 1999 (of which the main characters Moigle and Hoigle made cameos in the Dreamcast advertising campaign "It's Thinking"), and then-President of SEGA's American division Bernie Stolar saying that "Floigan will do for SEGA what Mario did for Nintendo", the game would go through developmental setbacks until finally releasing on July 30, 2001, months after SEGA ceased production on SEGA Dreamcast.
Because of this late release window, several pieces of monthly on-disc DLC for the game, as well as the concept of exchanging Moigles through the Dreamcast VMU, were left on the cutting room floor.
Because of this late release window, several pieces of monthly on-disc DLC for the game, as well as the concept of exchanging Moigles through the Dreamcast VMU, were left on the cutting room floor.
IGN review briefly mentioning scrapped features:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/07/30/floigan-brothers
Fan mod release of on-disc DLC:
https://dreamcastlive.net/blogs/post/floigan-bros-dlc-released/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/07/30/floigan-brothers
Fan mod release of on-disc DLC:
https://dreamcastlive.net/blogs/post/floigan-bros-dlc-released/
subdirectory_arrow_right WayForward Technologies (Company)
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An infamous scratch and sniff ad for EarthBound, featured in magazines around the time of the game's release, caused WayForward Director/Designer, James Montagna, to suffer from a severe allergic reaction as a child, which had him rushed to hospital:
"When I came to the page with the EarthBound scratch and sniff ad, I remember going at it without hesitation. Not long after, my tongue started to swell, and my throat closed up. I started to panic, and woke up my parents to take me to the hospital (magazine still clutched tightly in my hand), where we determined I had a reaction to the scents on the EarthBound ad!"
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Despite being positioned as the Xbox's mascot by the gaming press, Blinx the Time Sweeper was not created to fill that role or rival the likes of Mario and Sonic. Despite an internal push from the Blinx team for the character to become the platform's mascot in Japan (of which executive producer Ed Fries claims to be "not sure how seriously [the Blinx team] took it"), as well as the desire of Bill Gates for Microsoft's gaming department to have a mascot, the character was not officially used as an Xbox mascot, though the game did get a major marketing push in Japan thanks to convenient timing during a Christmas dry spell of game releases and being a Japanese game.
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When asked about why Super Mario Maker would be releasing on September 11, Nintendo representative Julie Gagnon responded:
Due to this awkward release timing, promotional materials for the game would word the release date as the "11th of September", even in countries that use an MM/DD format.
“Nintendo is really respectful of this date, but the thing is that when we launched Super Mario Bros back in 1985, it was September 13th. And, as we have worked with retailers on Friday as a launch day, the date worked out as Friday, September 11th for this year.”
Due to this awkward release timing, promotional materials for the game would word the release date as the "11th of September", even in countries that use an MM/DD format.
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The original plan for the game was a PvP, online MMO game known as Fate/Apocrypha. However, these plans were cancelled early in development. The project was later revived as "Fate Online Project Reboot" on the behest of publisher Aniplex wanting to make a mobile game to promote the Fate IP. According to head writer Kinoko Nasu, he never owned a smartphone prior to the development of Fate/Grand Order, but got one and played various free-to-play mobile games for reference. Fate/Apocrypha itself would later be revived as a Light Novel series.
Type Moon Wiki page on Fate/Grand Order development: https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Fate/Grand_Order#Development
Type Moon Wiki page on Fate/Apocrypha development: https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Fate/Apocrypha#Development
Type Moon Wiki page on Fate/Apocrypha development: https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Fate/Apocrypha#Development
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The print advertisement for Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures features the typical 90s commercial trash-talking against other popular video game characters of the time, claiming that they are unable to do things that Pac-Man can do in the game, such as "Dirty worms can't whistle", referring to Earthworm Jim, or "Big hairy apes can't think for themselves", referring to Donkey Kong. However, one of these allegations is the claim that "Overgrown housecats can't hang glide", seemingly referring to Bubsy the Bobcat, who's signature power is the ability to glide, and therefore would not need a hang glider.