Activision EPIC FAIL

I've blogged about Activision's EPIC FAIL before.  Nothing like paying to be essentially a beta tester for an online service that still is messed up.  It took them almost six months after taking fan's money to actually get the Call of Duty Elite program working....and by working I mean you can log on and fumble around.  A bunch of stuff is still broken, but they managed to get some things patched.

Yesterday Activision announced this year's new game, Call of Duty Black Ops 2.

Since I've paid for the pleasure of playtesting Activision has my email on file.  Today they sent me an email advertising the new game, which won't be out for six months and wouldn't you know it they couldn't even get the damned ad right.

This is the graphic from the actual email.  It is a hotlink you can click on to go and see this "exclusive" reveal video.  Awesome, a perk for the paid playtesters!

But of course when you click this ad your browser tries to open the site.....and fails.






Seriously?  You run game servers for a bazillion players, but you cannot host a video?!

I figure I'll see if somebody was able to upload the video on YouTube.  Someone has to have done that, right?

Well I guess I don't have to go very far to see the "exclusive" video.  It is a damned banner ad on YouTube!  I get to watch the video....kind of "meh", but the whole thing is just so much FAIL.  Activision has an inside marketing track that they cannot communicate with worth a damn, but any Tom, Dick, or Harry on YouTube...no problem whatsoever.  

The people who have paid you extra to playtest your "service" can't view the marketing message you send them.  These are the people most likely looking to play the new game, most likely to talk up the new game, and already proven to spend money on your product....extra money even.

Shouldn't you try to get things right with this group?  You couldn't have simply directed them to YouTube?

EPIC FAIL Activision....EPIC FAIL yet again.