The video game industry has always been involved in all kinds of controversies. The 1990s were an interesting time, as parents expressed concern about the rise of games like DOOM, Mortal Kombat and of course, Devil. More than 20 years later, the Blizzard Entertainment franchise still causes controversy and the anger of the most conservative sector of society.
Diablo IV, the fourth main installment in the popular dungeon crawler saga, debuted in early June and quickly became the company’s most successful release. In a matter of days, it sold millions of copies and generated more than $666 million in revenue.
The popularity of the project is largely due to an extensive advertising campaign. At the beginning of last month, some cities in the United States and more countries received billboards announcing the release of the video game. It appears that this marketing material was offensive to certain citizens.
Related video: The good, the bad and the meh of Diablo IV
People Complain About Diablo IV Billboard
What happens is that the city of Melbourne, Australia, received a special poster where the release date is observed, an image of the villain Lilith and the phrase “Welcome to hell, Melbourne”. Angry citizens have since expressed their disgust and lashed out at the image.
The reasons for the complaints are religious, since the inhabitants of the town argued that the billboard of Diablo IV promotes “evil and satanic paraphernalia”.
lol someone complained to Ad Standards that the Diablo ad reminded them of lockdown?? pic.twitter.com/osqdpLYcms
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) July 4, 2023
“Words [bienvenido al infierno, Melbourne] as part of the advertisement for this game and the image of a demon offend me as a christian. The images are also inappropriate for my children to view and have already given them nightmares,” said one of the people who filed a complaint.
“I feel it is inappropriate to display such disgusting and disturbing content on a billboard that children may see on a daily basis. It has no context and as a 43-year-old adult, I found it concerning.”
the poster of Diablo IV it received a lot of criticism, so the Australian Advertising Standards Community Panel had to step in. The agency dismissed the complaints and shared the reasons why the billboard does not go against its code of ethics.
“The phrase ‘Welcome to Hell’ refers to a fictional location that a person will visit as part of the game in their quest to defeat the fictional villain portrayed in the ad. It does not state or imply that Brisbane or Melbourne is ‘hell’ and as such is not derogatory to these cities or any of their inhabitants,” reads the agency’s response.
Likewise, the panel indicated that Lilith “is not different from other characters known as Disney’s Maleficent.”
But tell us, what do you think of this curious story? Do you think the citizens had reason to complain? Do you think they exaggerated? Let us read you in the comments.
Diablo IV is available for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation and PC. Click here to read more related news.
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