A Ford dealership in Quincy, Massachusetts, has used copyrighted art assets from Firewatch in a new advertising campaign.
Firewatch proved to be a poignant, immersive experience when it launched earlier this year, and its distinctive art style proved to be a big part of that.
Ford must have thought so too, since the company has used some of the game’s art assets in its latest advertisements.
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Spotted by Firewatch publisher Panic Inc, the image was shortly posted on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/statuses/747498704328744960
Developer Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman seemed to take it quite well: “Come on down to the Quirk Ford Freedom Sales event where ur free from such things as ‘copyright’ and ‘infringement!'”
Ford’s advertising department staffer Sean Western told Game Informer that, “We always use DMCA-compliant sites when getting images,” giving the impression that this was just a silly mistake.
Naughty Dog did a very similar thing with Uncharted 4, accidentally using art from Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag in a trailer for the game.
Firewatch is currently available on PS4 and PC. It’s also available for 33% off the original price as part of the Steam Summer Sale.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.