The Dead Rising 4 Email
A few weeks back Microsoft sent out a promotional email that upset a number of people due to a spelled out zombie groan sounding phonetically like a racial slur. While we aren’t looking to argue whether this was offensive or not, there is little doubting that this didn’t help Microsoft’s public look. For a game that was already suffering from fan backlash following its reveal, having to backtrack on some awkward promotional material didn’t help.
Today we sent a DR4 email where a zombie roar was interpreted by many as a racial slur. We apologize and promise to do better next time.
— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus 📱⌨️🖱️🎮 (@majornelson) November 22, 2016
The fact that Microsoft had to come out and publicly apologize for the email only put more of a spotlight on the marketing material. That all being said, however, it’s important to reflect on the good things this company has done as well. This was an awkward year for the Xbox One, so hopefully 2017 will be their time to shine thanks to new exclusives and the Scorpio.
