PR Faux Pas for THQ Nordic
Game company THQ Nordic has announced that they are willing to be candid with an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) Q&A. This normally would have been a sound PR move had it been with Reddit or other platforms. Weirdly however, THQ Nordic opted to use the website 8Chan to host the AMA.
Similar to 4chan, 8chan is an anonymous image board which tends to court controversies. With its involvement in child pornography, conspiracy theories, the Gamergate fiasco and a host of other problems requiring police investigation. The Washington Post has even written a piece about the website back in 2015.
What Did THQ Nordic Think Was Going to Happen?
Netizens were of course quick to express outrage on social media. Especially right after THQ Nordic tweeted in promotion of the AMA.
The company has since responded with an apology on Twitter. Philipp Brock, PR & Marketing Director THQ Nordic GmbH is owning up to the mistake. Stating that he did not do “proper due diligence” in researching the history of 8chan.
Note that THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is a separate entity from THQ Nordic AB. The former is the Vienna-based publisher and subsidiary, while THQ Nordic AB is the parent company.
You can read his apology Tweets below:
"I personally agreed to this AMA without doing my proper due diligence to understand the history and the controversy of the site. I do not condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism in any shape or form. (…)
— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) February 26, 2019
(…) I am terribly sorry for the short-sightedness of my (!) decision, and promise to be far more vigorous in my assessment of these activities in the future. (…)
— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) February 26, 2019
This was not about being edgy, this blew up and I very much regret to have done it in the first place."
Philipp Brock, PR & Marketing Director THQ Nordic GmbH (Vienna, Austria)
— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) February 26, 2019
Prior to the apology, Brock justified partnering with 8chan with the following Tweet. Suggesting that he chose to do so because the “opportunity was here”.
https://twitter.com/THQNordic/status/1100456177031356416
