Prototype 2 UK Launch Featured an Over-18 Live Advert

Live action trailers are one thing, but an actual live trailer is another. Activision has definitely pushed Prototype 2 much harder than the original in terms of marketing, and this couldn’t be more true yesterday in Covent Garden where the audience could witness this one of a kind advert. The behind-the-scenes of this advert can be seen below, and is certainly an interesting new way to market a video game.

Covent Garden, which often plays host to family-friendly entertainment, revealed a darker side as audiences were witness to the world’s first ever over-18 live outdoor advertisement to celebrate the launch of new video game, PROTOTYPE 2.  So explicit was the ad, that it was shown post-watershed to avoid a younger audience.

The live ad – inspired by PROTOTYPE 2 – featured actors playing the parts of the game’s new protagonist Sgt. James Heller and his nemesis Alex Mercer, as well as Blackwatch military and the disease-ridden Infected. Action from the game, including a gruesome and bloody confrontation between Heller and Mercer, was considered unsuitable viewing for those below the age of 18 for fear of causing upset or distress.

A first of its kind, fans were also offered the opportunity to choose the finale to the ad through a voting mechanic that closed just hours before the action went live.  The dramatic close saw Mercer triumph over Sgt. Heller in an intense showdown.

Prototype 2 is now available for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.