Acclaim Entertainment · 1993 · Mortal Kombat (SNES and Genesis)
"MK Is Coming"
Acclaim's campaign for the home release of Mortal Kombat used a dedicated hotline, coordinated television advertising, and the controversy over the SNES censorship versus the Genesis blood code to generate record single-day sales.
Acclaim designated September 13, 1993 "Mortal Monday" — a simultaneous release date for both the SNES and Genesis home versions — and built a campaign around scarcity, hype, and controversy. Acclaim purchased television advertising across every major US market in the weeks preceding release. The campaign benefited enormously from a controversy it had partly manufactured: the SNES version shipped with blood replaced by sweat and fatalities altered, while the Genesis version retained gore through an unlock code. Gaming media reported extensively on this difference, effectively providing free advertising. Congressional hearings on video game violence in December 1993 kept the game in the news after its home release.