In the United Kingdom, publicists didn’t get much bigger or more controversial than Max Clifford. Having built his career representing everyone from Frank Sinatra to Muhammad Ali, the quick-witted, silver-haired Clifford had become, as one journalist put it, “a master manipulator of the tabloid media.”

Perhaps most notoriously, Clifford resurrected singer Freddie Starr’s concert tour in 1986 by planting the sensational headline “Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster” in the Sun. Like the rumor of Ozzy Osbourne biting off the head a bat, the story generated so much attention that it sold out Starr’s tour.

The decision by the marketing team at BMG Interactive to hire such a powerful publicist—let alone a specialist in scandal—was unheard of in the game industry in 1997. BMG, with roots in the music business, thought a bit of rock-and-roll flair might do justice to their little punk game.

Blunt and opportunistic, Clifford urged BMG to forget about convention and embrace GTA’s criminality in all of its glory. “If it’s part of the game,” he said, “it’s part of the game.”

Clifford recommended not only owning up to the violence, but shoving it down the media’s throat. What better way to get people talking? Clifford said he “knew there would be the wonderful elitist members of the establishment that would find something like this absolutely repulsive.”

Sam loved the plan. Jones, however, wasn’t so convinced. He didn’t want controversy for controversy’s sake. “Look,” Sam said, “you’re pushing the envelope for gaming.”

Yeah,” Jones said.

“Games have been seen for kids. Here’s one doing something different, like movies. We can actually use that as a marketing angle.”

Do read on

http://www.wired.com...ft-auto-jacked/

That is an awesome story. It's part of what made the GTA series and Rockstar so awesome, that whole attitude.

Great for publicity, but that kind of stuff makes it even harder to fight people screaming against violent games.