BioWare has cooked up an interesting scheme to promote Mass Effect 3's upcoming launch. They're going to load up six weather balloons with free copies and set them loose across the world.
USA Today says that the balloons will be released in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin, London and Paris. Each balloon will have a GPS tracker device onboard. Fans will be able to track the balloon on MassEffect.com and see where it finally lands.
Once a balloon touches down, gamers will race over to the landing spot and grab the free copy. Or some dairy farmer will find it out in a field and throws it away. Or it will land in the ocean. Or the balloon will climb too high, disintegrate, and the the plummeting box will leave a rectangular dent in someone's car. No matter what happens, the important thing is that the stunt generates some buzz for the game and keeps everyone glued to the official website. And really, isn't that the most important thing?
While this whole stunt could really fizzle, it's a pretty neat idea. It's a chance to play the full version of ME3, which we can all agree is a good thing. Best of luck to everyone who will be driving around West Bumblefuck next week trying to find these balloons.
ME3 launches on March 6th in North America and on the 9th in Europe. A demo is currently live on all platforms.
Mass Effect
Bookmarks