By now, many people have seen the “Sad Ben Affleck” video, which stems from an interview the actor was giving alongsideBatman v Supermanco-star Henry Cavill, in which the pair were asked about their reaction to the film’s negative reviews. In the video, Cavill speaks at length aboutBatman v Superman’s poor critical reception, whereas Ben Affleck sits silently, with a sad expression on his face, as Simon and Garfunkel’s depressing song “The Sound of Silence” plays in the background.
Bandai Namco has decided to capitalize on the popularity of the “Sad Ben Affleck” video by creating a version that can be used to promoteDark Souls 3. In Bandai Namco’s version, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck are asked to recall their memories of the originalDark Souls, and then footage is added to make it appear as though Affleck is having flashbacks to dying numerous times in the game.
See Sad Ben Affleck think about his time with the firstDark Soulsgame during a faux interview aboutDark Souls 3right here:
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Having said that, this Sad Ben Affleck video is a bit cleverer than the hot wing eating contest, as it plays on the franchise’s reputation of being “hard” compared to other video games. This reputation has led to players going to extraordinary lengths to tackle challenges in the series in strange ways, such as a player that defeated thefirst boss inDark Souls 3using only his fists.
At any rate, this type of marketing that plays on popular Internet memes like Sad Ben Affleck will likely become more common moving forward. Using humor has always been an effective marketing tool, and it’s even more effective when it plays on a popular trend, likeBatman v Supermanand Sad Ben Affleck. Whether or not Sad Ben Affleck thinking aboutDark Soulswill result in more copies ofDark Souls 3being sold remains to be seen, but one has to credit Bandai Namco for thinking outside the box when it comes to marketing the game.
Dark Souls 3will be available on April 12 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
