The filming of a Guild Wars 2 commercial brought about a much higher PR success in Asia than planned.
Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and the Loch Ness Monster are regularly sighted, just like the gray and thin aliens who always want to do things with our body openings. But Gollum? And yet: There he was. A Chinese tourist saw the oddly malformed creature, who always babbled about its treasure in the Lord of the Rings movies, by the shore of a small river. Apparently, the villain was drinking.
Immediately, the Chinese tourist (caution stereotype) pulled out the camera he had with him and took some photos of the strange creature with the huge ears. He posted them online, and the thing became an internet hit, reaching 16 million clicks, spreading on social networks, and making it onto several websites.
But there was a very earthly explanation for Gollum: Filming was taking place by the river for a new Guild Wars 2 commercial. And Gollum was not even Gollum, but an actor in an Asura costume who went to the river to drink during a short break in filming.
A much better free advertisement for their game could not have been dreamed up by ArenaNet.
