Sega Pulls Samba Ads Amidst PETA Outrcry

Outcry from animal rights organization PETA has caused Sega to remove chimpanzee-starring advertisements from its official site, with the organization declaring that it is "officially bananas about Sega" and sending the game publisher vegan chocolates.

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Outcry from animal rights organization PETA has caused Sega to remove chimpanzee-starring advertisements from its official site, with the organization declaring that it is "officially bananas about Sega" and sending the game publisher vegan chocolates.

PETA took issue with Sega's use of a real-life chimpanzee in various ads for Gearbox's maraca-shaking music game Samba de Amigo, which hit Wii in September. In the game, players take control of a smiling, big-eyed monkey.

However, despite their supposed removal from all things Sega, the chimp-starring Samba video advertisements are still available for download on Sega's press FTP.

According to PETA, the process went something like this:

We explained how involuntary chimpanzee 'actors' are taken away from their mothers when they are just a year or so old and forced to perform confusing and repetitious tricks. We also explained some of the horrible methods that chimpanzee 'trainers' use, such as electric shocks with shock collars and prods, isolation, beatings with sawed-off pool cues and slapjacks, and food deprivation. Then, at the ripe old age of just 8, the chimpanzees reach puberty and their showbiz careers are over--and they end up being dumped at dismal roadside zoos or sold to laboratories for experimentation.

Faster than you can mangle a Metallica song on Guitar Hero, SEGA pulled the video from its site and promised to keep all great apes out of its ads!

The rest of the offending ads follow below:

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 4, 2008 1:13 PM

    They forgot to mention that none of that stuff Peta says matters cause performing chimps are hilarious

    • reply
      November 4, 2008 1:39 PM

      And now these poor fellas are unable to do the one thing they are trained for...Won't you please donate to the "Some Ex-Actors are Monkeys, Some Monkeys are Ex-Actors" Fund.

    • reply
      November 4, 2008 1:40 PM

      And some monkeys like being beaten with pool cues! It's a little weird but who are we to judge?

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