Given that many people watch movies and play video games, it should come as no great shock to learn that there’s been plenty of marketing crossover between the two mediums over the decades.
While it’s not as common now, once upon a time, every major Hollywood movie had its own tie-in video game, and today, consoles and games often get screen time in films – just like any other form of product placement.
Movies are definitely a valuable tool when it comes to getting recognition for your upcoming game, but it doesn’t always work out the way it should – and 1995’s Mallrats is a good example of that.
According to writer, director and View Askewniverse creator Kevin Smith, a scene in the movie was supposed to feature a Sega Genesis game, but the filmmakers managed to strike a last-minute deal with Sega of America to feature the company’s latest Saturn Hockey title, NHL All-Star Hockey.
This required some last-minute technical wizardry, as A) the console featured in the (then finished) movie was a Genesis and not a Saturn, and B) the game itself only launched a few weeks before Mallrats hit cinemas on 20th October 1995 – by which point no additional footage could be filmed.
So the post-production team included fake footage of Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) “playing” the game on the TV. As noted by Rerez’s Shane Luis, they even went as far as to make sure the scoreline displayed on-screen matched Lee’s dialogue.
Why did the filmmakers go through all of this trouble? Well, according to Smith, Sega promised that if the game had some exposure in the movie, it would ensure that Smith and his cast would be featured in the company’s nationwide promotional tours. “In the end, they pimped out on us, they did not feature us, and we had changed it all for nothing.”
Thanks to King Monkey for the tip!
Go on.... treat yourself to a new game.
