Update: The original source for the promotional comparison image has yet to be found. Some (including TotalBiscuit and users on Reddit/NeoGAF) are surmising that it was created by a Polish game website and is not official promotional material from Ubisoft.
Update 2: It seems the comparison image in question originated from Ubisoft Poland’s Facebook page and may be a regional error. An additional site containing the image is here.
Apparently the image originated on Ubisofts Polish Facebook page, so it looks like a regional error.
— TotalBiscuit (@Totalbiscuit) December 10, 2014
This article will be further updated should new information arise.
The original story is below:
Ubisoft just can’t shake controversy when it comes to their current and upcoming game releases. Last month, it was Assassin’s Creed Unity. This month (to a lesser degree), it’s The Crew. Now, controversy surrounding the company’s upcoming HD remaster of Heroes of Might and Magic III has arisen, much to the dismay of the gaming community.
It appears that in a recent promotional shot for Ubisoft’s Heroes of Might and Magic III: HD Edition contains comparisons of the game’s HD treatment to what the original game supposedly originally looks like.
However, users on NeoGAF.com have posted what the original game actually looked like, as opposed to Ubisoft’s interpretation in their promotional images, revealing that Ubisoft has, in fact, downgraded the original game’s image quality – presumably be rendering it at a much lower resolution than it can actually be run at – in order to make its HD remaster look much better by comparison.
Read more and see some comparison images after the break.
Ubisoft Lowers Game IQ to Make HD Remaster Look Better
As seen above image, Ubisoft showcases the game’s HD treatment on the top row, with the original game’s supposed graphics on the bottom. However, it appears that the images on the bottom row were captured at a lower resolution or using the game’s original battle sprites, making them look much worse than they actually are and subsequently highlighting the “improvements” they have made for its HD remaster.
For a closer look at the Ubisoft’s “bullshot,” take a look at the following image (taken from the NeoGAF thread linked above:
Clearly, Ubisoft is using some deliberately misleading promotional tactics to get gamers excited for Heroes of Might and Magic III‘s HD remaster.
The question whether or not the individual in charge of the game’s marketing made a mistake, or if they simply did it on purpose to falsely advertise the game is up in the air, however this article will be updated if, or when, Ubisoft further clarifies the situation.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: HD Edition was just recently announced, and is slated to release on January 29th, 2015 for PC, iOS, and Android
What are your thoughts on this development? Would you put it past Ubisoft to attempt to pull the wool over gamers’ eyes once again? Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.