It looks as though fans of the G.I. Joe franchise might have something to look forward to later this year, if the COVID-19 situation will even be over by then. And if it’s even legit.
Recently, a post went up about a contest detailing a G.I. Joe Adventure Camp in Kuala Linggi, Malaysia. The contest post states that the camp is slated to begin in “Q4 2020”, and will feature a series of outdoor activities that are, supposedly, inspired by elements of the popular action figure and comic book franchise.
There’s even talk of a massive clash between the G.I. Joe and Cobra forces, with “gruesome battles of wits (sp?)” including “up to 40 challenging and fun obstacle courses” being some of the key experiences the event aims to deliver.
Here’s the thing — it all seems too good to be true. And when one peers through the veneer of the contest post, it doesn’t seem all that enticing.
Though many of the Facebook page’s images bear the G.I. Joe logo and images, and even the logo of the IP’s parent company Hasbro for that matter, the exact details for the adventure camp itself are sparse. Firstly, it doesn’t show the exact camp grounds itself, but just 3D renders, which calls into question the legitimacy of the place in and of itself.
Kuala Linggi itself is a massive area, and there isn’t any exact location of which to pinpoint the camp grounds. Despite it to be set in what looks like an old military base, it doesn’t explain which settlement this is, with only the fact that it’s located somewhere between Kuala Lumpur and Melaka being the only clue. That’s certainly helpful.
Additionally, despite G.I. Joe being an IP all about top-secret military forces, it helps a potential discerning customer weigh their money’s worth by being able to see what they’re paying for. It doesn’t seem assuring to see stock images of camping and adventure trails riddling the Facebook page’s Photos section.
Since it’s a themed adventure camp, where are the G.I. Joe-themed images? Some posts are even highly-edited renders, with “classified secret venue” being the selling point of these sketchy images.
And don’t even get us started on the dearth of spelling and grammatical errors plaguing this marketing campaign.
So far, this camp doesn’t seem quite convincing, even for non-G.I. Joe fans. We’re not even sure if Hasbro is even involved in this whole shebang. But if you’re willing to take a risk, we’re not egging you on. We’ll just remind you that this might end up like the the MarioKart fiasco in Japan earlier this year.
In the meantime, maybe just catch up on free episodes of the legitimate G.I. Joe cartoon on YouTube?
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Natalie
Gerald
