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Fuel's gold ... games firm's free petrol stunt causes traffic chaos
Amar Singh, Evening Standard5 Sep 2008
A stunt in which thousands of pounds of free petrol was given away to promote a computer game was today branded "irresponsible and dangerous".
More than 500 motorists queued at a north London petrol station today to fill up their tanks courtesy of software company Electronic Arts.
Each driver was allowed fuel to the value of £40 - with the company promising to give away £20,000 worth of petrol. But the traffic chaos caused by the queues angered residents and the local MP.
The promotion, which mirrored the action game, involved the company seizing control of the garage near Finsbury Park.
Players of the Mercenaries 2: World in Flames game take on the role of a mercenary in Venezuela following a military coup in which petrol has become currency.
EA decked out the Last Stop garage in camouflage material and parked an army jeep on the forecourt.
Assistants dressed as soldiers carried mock machine guns as they handed out petrol to the customers. Radio stations spread the word, causing hundreds of drivers to head for the garage and creating jams.
Local Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone demanded an apology for those held up. She said: "Trying to recreate Venezuelan-style fuel riots on the streets of London is completely irresponsible and downright dangerous.
"While a lucky few might have got some free petrol, hundreds of local residents have faced misery. They deserve an apology for being the victims of such an illthought out media stunt."
One commuter had to be calmed down by the EA security team as he waited for 10 minutes to get out of his drive. A woman who lives near the garage said: "I can't believe they've been allowed to do it." The stunt was prematurely brought to an end at 11 am after police raised concerns. About 350 customers had claimed £14,000 of fuel.
David Slade, from Electronic Arts, said: "We were liaising with the police as we didn't want to cause too much of a stir. We kept the traffic flowing nicely and we didn't want a mass backlog. Our security team were there. After speaking with police, we pulled the plug on it."
