Using jet packs as marketing tools has been done before, but in the case of the Halo: Reach launch event held in London's historic Trafalgar Square this morning the spectacle was quite appropriate.
What better way to introduce the people of London to a Halo game that introduces jet packs than a man wearing Spartan armor and a jet pack? In this case the Spartan in question is Dan Schlund of Texas' Rocketman, a firm that hires out jet packs to marketing and sporting events. After posing with a couple more Spartan soldiers, Dan took off for a 30-second flight around the square as passersby looked on.
'Halo is the biggest video game series in history and as a pop culture icon it's been called the ‘Star Wars' for the joypad generation,' said Stephen McGill, Director of Xbox and Entertainment, UK & Ireland . . . We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the biggest entertainment launch of 2010 than with our very own Jetpack Spartan in one of London's most iconic landmarks.'
I'm heading to GameStop tonight to pick up my copy of Halo: Reach. If I see any jet packs there I'll let you all know.
Halo: Reach: Rocketman jets into Trafalgar Square to promote new Xbox game [The Daily Mail]