PEGI demands Ubi removes We Dare ad

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 10 March, 2011

Says it "misleads consumers".

UPDATE: Ubisoft has made the We Dare video YouTube advertisement embedded on the UbiShop website private, preventing users from watching it.

ORIGINAL STORY: Ubisoft has been ordered to remove its "misleading" We Dare advertisement from the internet, Eurogamer can exclusively reveal.

PEGI's Enforcement Committee gave the French publisher three working days to comply, after which it will consider imposing a fine.

"The Committee concludes that the advertisement does NOT accurately reflect the nature and content of the product and it MISLEADS consumers as to its true nature," PEGI said in a statement issued to Eurogamer this morning.

"Consequently, the Committee considers imperative as a first measure that the advertisement for the game which was made available online should be taken down immediately. If this is not done within three working days of this decision this Committee will consider further immediate sanctions against the publisher."

Eurogamer understands Ubisoft was made aware of PEGI's ruling yesterday, around the same time it announced it would not release We Dare in the UK.

The advertisement, below, shows four adults pretending to spank each other using a Wii Remote as part of "flirtatious" We Dare mini-games.

At the time of publishing the advertisement was still embedded on Ubisoft's official We Dare product page, and still carried a 11th March release date.

We Dare hit the mainstream headlines after PEGI awarded the game a 12+ rating, which it has always insisted was appropriate for the content of the game.

Ubisoft claims the game was developed and marketed to adults.

"It was correct to give the game a 12 rating," PEGI said. "The content of the game and the interaction that the game itself implies do not warrant a higher rating.

"Marketing may have implied something else, but PEGI does not rate advertising, it rates game content. If people play the game, they will see that there is nothing inappropriate for ages 12 and older."

Eurogamer has requested comment from Ubisoft.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (28) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 12 months ago

    To be fair you can turn Wii Party into a game for adults if you've had enough tequila..... anyone got any tequila?

  • Dolly #2 12 months ago

    Well spank my ass and call me Ubi

  • Fletche #3 12 months ago

    So there is no spanking?

    /cancels import pre-order

  • captain_Carl #4 12 months ago

    I'm happy to see that PEGI are sticking to their guns on this one and not bending over to the pressure (which is more than could be said for Ubi)

  • MattEdWithCheese #5 12 months ago

    given that the actual game is primarily just dance, they did the trailer in a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers in a desperate bid to get someone to buy it

  • the_dudefather #6 12 months ago

    (fake laugh)

  • dadrester #7 12 months ago

    It's one of the most effective marketing campaigns any game has done in years. I don't really see why PEGI are forcing them to remove the advert. As long as they're not outright lying about the content of the minigames (i.e. you couldn't actually manipulate the controller in they way's they are doing in the ad), then they should surely be free to market their game in whatever way they see fit. It's like if the food standards authority decided to fine the companies that make chocolate spread and package the stuff as "body spread" and ship it to ann summers. imho

  • beastmaster #8 12 months ago

    Caption should read Ubi get spanked by PEGI over content.

  • tachometer #9 12 months ago

    Who Dares Loses

  • arcam #10 12 months ago

    OK, it feels a bit ridiculous commenting like this but...

    Is there spanking or not? If the game actually tells you to stick a Wiimote down your trousers or in your back pocket and spank it, I can't agree that there's nothing inappropriate for a twelve year old.

    But it sounds like the whole advert was a total misrepresentation, you never saw much in the way of actual gameplay to be honest.

  • kinky_mong #11 12 months ago

    Ubisoft has been ordered to remove its "misleading" We Dare advertisement from the internet, Eurogamer can exclusively reveal.

    The advertisement, below...

    Ubisoft have been ordered to remove the advert, so lets post it up on our site a few more times!

  • CallousB #12 12 months ago

    Not that I want the game...but couldn't they just get together and agree to give it a higher age rating or something?

    All seems rather silly.

  • dirtysteve #13 12 months ago

    Very misleading, the ad suggests the game will lead me into a situation where I would have contact with women...

  • 5h1nj1 #14 12 months ago

    There nothing inappropriate in spanking some kids, parents do it all the time to them, don't they? There's nothing explicitly sexual in it. Just the adult's mind makes it so.
    That aside, what a horrible game and horrible advert! Ban them for how bad it is!

  • Murton #15 12 months ago

    Wizlon has a point, you can turn pretty much anything into an adult activity if you add booze.

    As for the game, it's probably a bit shit if we're honest but the marketing has been absolutely genius. Lots of indignant rage everywhere, PEGI rating of 12+ causing people to think it's for kids and sparking more outrage, Ubi cutting territories from release and all of it spawning news headlines all over the internet. The game looks fairly low budget so it wouldn't take many to buy into this publicity stunt to turn a profit.

    The sad part, it's probably undone at least a good couple of years worth of effort to get gaming seen as an acceptable and mature pursuit, between this and another couple of recent studies that claim that games are bad for our physical and mental health our PR is once again in tatters. Oh well, social acceptance isn't important to us anyway, that's why we continue on in spite of the negativity right?

  • Scopeh #16 12 months ago

    What kind of sick, perverted... whats that babe? You want me to get We dare for the Wii? OK THEN!

  • covfan #17 12 months ago

    Does it support Wii motion Plus?

  • Subi #18 12 months ago

    So you're telling me that none of you have ever played Strip Halo?

  • covfan #19 12 months ago

    I went to a houseparty once where they were playing strip multiplayer MW2 on the 360. Imagine their disappointment when the thing red ringed (the 360) halfway through.

  • Spong #20 12 months ago

    "...couldn't they just get together and agree to give it a higher age rating or something?"

    It's on the Wii. Giving it an older rating would, technically, cut three-quarters of the potential audience.

  • spekkeh #21 12 months ago

    This is a bollocks ruling of PEGI, who're desperately trying to save face. Playing a game will not actually lead to sex, no shit. Using l'Oreal won't turn you into a supermodel either. 99% of commercials allude to things that aren't totally representative of the product.

  • Shadzter #22 12 months ago

    What UK cancellation? Ordered mine just fine :p
    http://i56.tinypic .com/25i91mf.jpg

    Congrats to PEGI for sticking to their guns. The protestors took this way out of hand and don't even know how the ratings system works.
    Edited by 2 at 10/03/11 @ 12:55

  • menage #23 12 months ago

    Ubisoft should me ashanmed if they really pull this beacuse of some conservative prats who haven't held a joypad in their life.

    And does PEGI really have any authority on what an ad says? I thought they just rated the content of the damn stuff, not the way they market it.

  • Aradiel #24 12 months ago

    I felt dirty watching the advert, until then end when I just said "choke-hold" to myself.

    Now I can't stop laughing.

  • andywilkie35 #25 12 months ago

    EXCLUSIVE

  • Stop-gap #26 12 months ago

    PEGI have some kind of authority? I always thought they were just a common ratings and content advisory group the industry decided to use across Europe, not advertising standards.

    edit - or what menage said
    Edited by 1 at 10/03/11 @ 14:06

  • Lusterpurge #27 12 months ago

    According to reports, the game plays like a cross between Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six Vegas. We have all been horribly misled.

  • Freek #28 12 months ago

    PEGI is just trying to shift blame to Ubisoft when it all comes down to tabloid nonsense and overreaction.