Sega admits Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers were misleading - Report

Sega of Europe has admitted that some of its Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers are misleading, and will add disclaimers informing viewers that the final game may look different. It is not clear if similar disclaimers will be implemented in North America or other regions.

As reported by Eurogamer, the admission and decision to add disclaimers was made following a discussion between Sega and the UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). This conversation was sparked by a Reddit user going by subpardave.

Subpardave filed a complaint with the ASA regarding the "absurd" differences between in-game footage and footage used in trailers to promote Aliens: Colonial Marines. This user then published the letter he received from the ASA in response to his complaint. A portion of it reads:

"We contacted Sega Europe to discuss this issue. They explained that their online trailers used demo footage, created using the in-game engine. Sega Europe understood the objections raised about the quality of the game in relation to the trailers, but explained that they weren't aware of these issues when the trailers were produced, in some cases several months before release."

"Sega Europe acknowledged your objection that the trailers did not accurately reflect the final content of the game. They agreed to add a disclaimer, both on their website and in all relevant YouTube videos, which explains that the trailers depict footage of the demo versions of the game. The disclaimer will be visible when each online trailer is played."

With the disclaimers in place, the ASA said viewers will clearly understand that the videos they watch are not representative of the final product and therefore aren't "likely to materially mislead the public."

Aliens: Colonial Marines was largely bashed by reviewers at launch in February. A Wii U version was supposed to launch last month, but neither Sega nor developer Demiurge has commented on whether or not this project is still in the works.