The glory days of gross-out online game PR stunts are lengthy behind us, sadly. If and after we do get a Resident Evil 6 remake, it’s unlikely Capcom will serve it with a facet of human-flavored sausages. PlayStation doesn’t even maintain ocean-hopping vacation spot press occasions anymore, by no means thoughts ones the place they’ll sacrifice a live animal for tech bloggers. Although our best retches are within the rearview, the PR machine can nonetheless churn out some nasties right here and there. The largest shock is after they show to be all sensible.
Over at Aftermath, journalist Nathan Grayson has been bothered by a blood-fueled gaming PC, which apparently makes use of real-deal human plasma for liquid coolant, ever since Blizzard gave it away to promote Diablo IV in 2023. Grayson tried to shake down PR reps and {hardware} consultants hoping to uncover how a lot blood was in there, whose blood it was, and whether or not such an unholy contraption is in any respect sensible. No cube.
Nonetheless, Grayson did reach monitoring down the unique winner of this infernal machine, a streamer by the identify of Storms888. Whereas it didn’t resolve the gross mysteries that acquired beneath his pores and skin, Grayson did be taught one thing simply as surprising: the rattling factor nonetheless works. Two years later the rig continues pumping its blood.
“I haven’t seen any drops in performance since the day I got it,” Storms888 tells Grayson. “Did leak a ton though.”
The streamer says that he believes the liquid coolant to be a cocktail of human blood and extra typical elements. However there’s some quantity of blood. Blizzard despatched him alternative vials and documentational slips confirming the pink stuff got here from human donors. Storms888 mentioned it’s an unimaginable rig for his functions, which embrace livestreaming “Battlefield 6 at ultra settings.” And with RAM costs by means of the roof, who can blame him for not upgrading.
That is hardly the primary time the deep pink stuff has been utilized in a promotional stunt, nor the primary time it was batched to perform it. In 1977, Marvel Comics combined their ink with blood donated from every member of KISS for his or her humorous ebook debut. Lil Nas X did one thing comparable, drawing blood for a custom pair of Nikes to advertise 2021’s Montero. Blood, it seems, is in you to offer.
If Blizzard, Activision or Microsoft had been to drag this stunt once more, or cram another physique components into giveaway {hardware}, it wouldn’t even make the list of the most nauseating things to come out of them in current historical past.
Storms888 stays satisfied by his helpful, sensible, even, gross-out present. You may learn Nathan Grayson’s full interview with the ichor-powered gamer on Aftermath.
