Dante's Super Bowl ad censored

By Oli Welsh Published 2 February, 2010

Not for gore or sexual imagery, though.

EA has splashed out on a TV advertising spot for Dante's Inferno during this Sunday's NFL Super Bowl, but has run into a problem with broadcaster CBS, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It's not the dark tone, violence or disturbing monsters in the trailer that have upset CBS, however, and it doesn't feature any of the strong sexual imagery of the 18-rated game either. It's the fact that it ends with the words "Go To Hell", the game's marketing tagline.

EA will replace this with "Hell Awaits" and the commercial will still be broadcast during the popular match of the baffling American sport.

As well as prompting the second-largest day of the year for US food consumption after Thanksgiving, Wikipedia tells us, the Super Bowl is the year's most-watched television broadcast in the country, and so sought-after advertising spots come at a premium.

CBS has already decided to air a pro-life message from a group called Focus on the Family during the game, while rejecting an ad from a gay dating site.

Dante's Inferno is released on Friday for Xbox 360 and PS3. Look out for our review very shortly.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Gearskin #1 2 years ago

    But... that tagline was always awesome, from the very beginning. I loved it on the first teaser trailer.

    "Go.To.HELL"

    Indeed!

  • ZuluHero #2 2 years ago

    Ha ha! First ad: "Love each other!" Second ad: "Go to Hell!"

    :)
    Edited by 1 at 02/02/10 @ 08:40

  • Xerx3s #3 2 years ago

    "pro-life"? You mean anti abortion. Re-branding negative things so they sound more positive ftl.

  • kipper #4 2 years ago

    Speaking as a European gamer, I don't give a toss what advertisments the Americans watch. It's hardly relevant news.

  • The_Inquisitor #5 2 years ago

    Wow, EA big spenders. I hear a 30 second ad can cost $3 million.

  • ecureuil #6 2 years ago

    Americalol

  • Psiloc #7 2 years ago

    "CBS has already decided to air a pro-life message from a group called Focus on the Family during the game, while rejecting an ad from a gay dating site."

    This has annoyed me way more than anything to do with EA.

  • darkmorgado #8 2 years ago

    @Psiloc: This has annoyed me way more than anything to do with EA.

    Same here, but not nearly as much as Pope "I was in the hitler youth" Benedict's attack yesterday on equality laws.

    EDIT: Why the negs? You think it's ok that he was in the Hitler Youth, or do you disagree that people should be treated equally regardless of genetics?

    EDIT: Love how people are negging this without having the guts to try and justify why they hold bigoted views.
    Edited by 3 at 02/02/10 @ 09:20

  • E_Goldstein #9 2 years ago

    Bless um, they'll happily watch grown men smash each other into the floor (wearing pads mind, the sissies) but god forbid they are exposed to the possibility of purgatory.

  • menage #10 2 years ago

    I bet if this was a movie nobody would think twice about it.

    Buying the game though, nice stopgap for GoW3
    Edited by 1 at 02/02/10 @ 09:25

  • lennon #11 2 years ago

    Hell awaits.... Yep thats right its the second half of the super bowl!

  • Eraysor #12 2 years ago

    I thought the demo was a pretty juvenile experience anyway with all the gratuitous nudity, so the tagline "Go to Hell" would have suited it nicely.

  • menage #13 2 years ago

    I can see it being juvenile with all the gore and tits, but for some reason I actually thought it was handled pretty well.
    Sure there were nipples, but it fits the era and the content.

    Hell has always been portrayed with naked people suffering, putting some clothes on them doesn't make it less juvenile, just less realistic for the setting. It's not like showing some boobs automatically makes it a lesser experience. I'm actually glad were getting past that.

    Making it a hack and slash is another matter off course
    Edited by 3 at 02/02/10 @ 09:40

  • schnide #14 2 years ago

    So you can't say 'Go to Hell, but you can allow an anti-abortion ad?

    America's a great place despite some massive misconceptions - but things like this really don't help its case.

  • menage #15 2 years ago

    Conservatism is a bitch

  • aldo_14 #16 2 years ago

    Conservatism is a bitch

    Nah, that's not conservatism. Conservatism implies staying in place - this is neoconservatism, which is moving backwards so rapidly that your arse becomes your primary mode of communication.

  • kinky_mong #17 2 years ago

    Focus on the Family? Focus on your own damn family and stop trying to inflict your puritanical views on others!

  • StooMonster #18 2 years ago

    USA and Iran, not really that different are they? ;)

  • penhalion #19 2 years ago

    Bless um, they'll happily watch grown men smash each other into the floor (wearing pads mind, the sissies) but god forbid they are exposed to the possibility of purgatory.

    If there's one thing that I've learned about Americans over the years it's that most of them have done enough crap to actually fear that hell may just be where they end up when they die. It's quite funny really.

  • menage #20 2 years ago

    @aido

    True indeed,

    I hate the fuckers.

  • EggyDeth #21 2 years ago

    Focus on the Family is a very creepy organization that promotes first hitting, then hugging your children, creating a fear-dependency cycle. This primes them to grow up and: a: scream at the very thought of terrorism/communism/whatever they are told to be frightened of, and b: run for protection to a strong, arbitrarily violent figure like GW Bush.

    Quite clever really, as child abuse goes.

  • Sunyavadin #22 2 years ago

    "CBS has already decided to air a pro-life message from a group called Focus on the Family during the game, while rejecting an ad from a gay dating site."

    This has annoyed me way more than anything to do with EA.

    Considering what a massively homoerotic, testosterone fuelled gropefest of bears and closet cases american footballl is, it's kind of ironic...

  • darkmorgado #23 2 years ago

    Considering what a massively homoerotic, testosterone fuelled gropefest of bears and closet cases american footballl is, it's kind of ironic...

    Very true! Always makes me laugh when I see football fans slagging off gay people while remaining blisfully unaware of the massive homoerotic undertones in their favoured sport/s - especially as it's been mentioned repeatedly that plenty of players in the premier league are actually gay, just in the closet.

  • chrisola #24 2 years ago

    Great, now they can use the classic Slayer track to advertise it.

  • sanctusmortis #25 2 years ago

    It's not even a new trailer - in fact, isn't it the same trailer that came out before E3 last year?

    But yeah, I fail to see how "go to Hell" is different from "Hell awaits", but the latter's certainly more appropriate before the anti-abortion video and the former after...

  • menage #26 2 years ago

    Indeed, maybe the anti abortion one already used the same tag line.

  • M_of_the_sys #27 2 years ago

    For those who may be confused.

  • darkmorgado #28 2 years ago

    rofl @ M_of_the_sys

  • Kikizosan #29 2 years ago

    Yay, America!

  • t1m0thy #30 2 years ago

    re: "pro-life"? You mean anti abortion. Re-branding negative things so they sound more positive ftl.

    It seems to me that "pro-choice" sounds misleadingly innoculous. Maybe you would prefer "pro-death" or "anti-life" for your "progressive" worldview. Should I have used the term "a-moral" rather than "progressive"? You decide.

  • rockstar1984 #31 2 years ago

    @ M_of_the_sys

    lol, got a tear in my eye that's a belter.

  • headrush #32 2 years ago

    That CBS policy is some scary shit if you ask me