Shell’s Fortnite failure sparks wider concern about influence in games: Video Games Industry Memo, 12/10/2023
Shell's shilling doesn't play well but raises fears about malign influence in the medium
Shell’s Fortnite flop raises questions about malign influence in games.
John’s gone at Unity following run time fee farrago.
Forza Motorsport heads up the grid for this week’s releases.
The big read - Shell’s Fortnite failure sparks wider concern about influence in games
It’s been a tough few weeks in the games industry and we’ve been in need of a good laugh to cheer us all up. Fortunately, we’ve been able to enjoy a hearty and unexpected chuckle this week from an unlikely source: Shell.
The petrochemical peddler has landed itself in hot oil this week, after pressure group Media Matters for America accused it of promoting the use of fossil fuels to young people via a Fortnite creative map called Ultimate Road Trips.
For the most part, this is an amusing tale of an unpopular brand making itself even less popular amongst an audience it needs to court.
But it does represent a bone-headed example of a more worrying trend in games that we do need to pay serious attention to: organisations attempting to use the medium for malign influence.
Fuelling controversy
Back in July 2023, Shell launched Ultimate Road Trips as it shifted its games strategy away from quieter esports tournament sponsorship towards actively reaching players where they are.
The creative map got off to a poor start by immediately insulting the game’s entire player base in its promotional spiel with the suggestion that there is “more to Fortnite than battle royale quests, skins and emotes.”
Instead, players - who Shell presumed were utterly bored of one of the most entertaining multiplayer games in the history of the video games industry - were ready to have their minds blown by a map that would allow them to…fill up a car with fuel and drive it down some roads.
The experience was, and remains, dull and unimaginative. Undeterred by this somewhat fatal failing, Shell pushed on and ploughed cash into promoting the game through digital ads, IGN’s paid media vertical and through influencer campaigns on TikTok and Twitch.
Broadly speaking, the campaign had little impact over the summer beyond generating some vanity metrics.
While streamers and influencers such as NateHill and the cutely named Punisher did play the experience, leading to a cited reach of potentially millions of players, it failed to cut-through in the games discourse because, ultimately, it was rubbish.
However, Shell’s map did successfully reach one audience that it didn’t really want to reach: pressure groups concerned about the environment. And it’s fair to say they were not happy with it.
Flippin’ Shell
Having dealt with a fair few industry reputational crises in my time, I can say with some confidence that an easy way to attract ire is to engage in behaviour that looks to be manipulating the minds of younger players.
From concerns over monetisation to questions of addiction, video games companies have been battling (and are continuing to fight against) the idea that games are damaging young minds for decades.
So instead of avoiding the rake lain gently on the ground in front of it, Shell’s milquetoast campaign stepped straight on top of it - thwacking themselves in the face in the process.
Allison Fisher, Director of Media Matters’ climate and energy programme, accused Shell of using its rubbish map to “launder its climate destabilising product” in The Guardian (link in the headline). She also raised the spectre of regulators taking a closer look at Shell’s work; a less than ideal outcome for any promotional campaign.
Somewhat ironically, the outrage also led to players finally discovering the map. And while that might sound like a positive for Shell, it really wasn’t.
Chica, one of the influencers who promoted the campaign via a video on TikTok, has recently received comments from players such as “shame on you” and “ah yes, I love destroying the planet” on her YouTube channel.
The story also made its way round the consumer games press, who looked upon it less than favourably. This led to the map receiving the dubious honour of a parody from satirical site Hard Drive, which suggested Shell and Fortnite had teamed up on a new campaign to promote “huffing gas” to kids.
So rather than subtly influence the minds of its target audience, Shell instead ended up grievously and obviously offending it: causing itself further - and broadly needless - reputational damage in the process.
Psy-flops?
So, what can we learn from this? From a tactical perspective, it is another resoundingly noisy reminder that video games are not the same as adverts and must not be treated as such. After all, it’s much easier to ignore - or kick - a poorly thought through campaign if it also happens to be literally tedious to experience.
But at a strategic level, something much more important is going on. While the idea that games affect the mental health of players is perhaps gently losing currency, the idea that games can be used as a sphere for influence is gaining traction.
Now it certainly isn’t easy to influence them. The video games sector isn’t a simple platform to buy reach through; it’s a collection of weird little feudal states at war with each other, with ecosystems, economies and communities protected fiercely both by the creators of the games and the people who’ve decided to reside within them.
But if you can find your way into these spaces, your influence within those digital fortifications has room to grow and to then extend back into the real world. And while many efforts to influence have been benign, such as supporting a charity or sharing public health messaging during a pandemic, some clearly aren’t.
This is most typified not by Shell and its idiotic campaign but by this week’s publication of an extensive paper by the University of Lund’s Psychological Defence Research Institute exploring how nation states are malignly using games for foreign policy purposes - a much more genuine and worrying challenge for the industry to consider.
So yes, Shell’s Ultimate Road Trips may well be worth laughing about in the current climate (and believe me, I have been). But the implication that games are being treated as a credible frontline for influence - for better and for worse - is something we all need to take seriously in the years ahead.
News in brief
PlayStation Lithe: Sony has announced it is releasing a new slimline version of the PlayStation 5 in time for the holiday season. Wags and ruffians will note it is the only thing getting slimmer during Christmas time.
Gone Riccitiello: John Riccitiello is retiring as President of Unity, just weeks after the company’s runtime fee policy was widely panned (and mostly walked back). A notable scalp and a valuable reminder that comms is actually quite important.
Passing buy: Activision Blizzard has confirmed that its games will make it to Game Pass from next year, assuming its acquisition by Microsoft happens. The CMA is reportedly making its decision on the deal imminently, so expect for it to happen roughly a minute after this newsletter has gone out.
Ever greater unions: Over 100 employees at Avalanche Studios have announced that they’re forming a staff union shortly after CD Projekt Red staff said they were doing the same. Expect unionisation to accelerate in response to the recent wave of lay-offs.
Games and misinformation: Rolling Stone has reported that clips from Arma 3 are being passed off as footage from the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel on social media. Similar issues emerged during the early stages of the Ukraine war.
Ins and outs
Cassia Curran has joined the board at indie publisher Raw Fury…Jagex is looking for a Director of Community Management…Riot Games is searching for a Marketing Communications Lead for Northern Europe on a 12 month contract…SEGA are hunting for a Senior Producer…Chivas Brothers is on the lookout for an Assistant Brand Manager with video games knowledge...
Events and conferences
GamesAid Gala Dinner, London - October 19th
Scottish Games Week, Across Scotland - 30th October - 3rd November
Paris Games Week, Paris - 1st November - 5th November
Golden Joysticks, London - 10th November
The Game Awards, Los Angeles - 7th December
Games to watch this week
Forza Motorsport - Follow up to Forza Motorsport 7 arrives with fine tuned racing and no number in the name.
Lords of the Fallen - Speaking of confusing titles, the successor to 2014 game *checks notes* Lords of the Fallen is out tomorrow.
Total War: Pharaoh - Latest entry in strategy series asks whether you’re more Ramses the Great than Ramses III (trust me on this reference, please).
Company of Heroes Collection - WWII RTS collection lands on Switch.
Before you go…
There’s a half hour long documentary about the game design of Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie over on Game Maker’s Toolkit that you should watch here.
I’ve heard it is bear-y good…
Do you have jobs, events, forthcoming games releases or good old fashioned gossip to share? Email me your tips, please.