How PETA’s Not a Nugget campaign backfired and what it reveals about gaming community dynamics
The Controversial Campaign Begins
Animal rights organization PETA continues its persistent campaign urging Nintendo to incorporate their fictional character ‘Not a Nugget’ into Super Smash Bros Ultimate, but the gaming community has voiced strong opposition to these efforts.
PETA has renewed its demands for Nintendo to include its vegan advocacy character in the fighting game roster, but players express frustration with the organization’s persistent social media tactics.
During September, PETA executed an unusual social media strategy by fabricating a ‘leak’ on Twitter, sharing an edited image portraying their Not a Nugget character as the final DLC fighter announcement.
The fabricated leak demonstrated some awareness of gaming culture by featuring Ken, a character previously involved in authentic leaks, and employing the classic ‘uncle works at Nintendo’ meme that circulates within gaming communities.
Chronology of Events and Fan Reactions
After the fabricated leak failed to generate the desired response, PETA shifted strategies by directly petitioning Nintendo and tagging Masahiro Sakurai, the celebrated creator of the Super Smash Bros franchise.
Hey @NintendoAmerica,
We’re still waiting to see “Not a Nugget” in #SmashBrosUltimate 😉 https://t.co/3UK8dG1vWd pic.twitter.com/dZihxcIeyC
— PETA (@peta) September 20, 2021
Weeks following the initial campaign, PETA resumed tagging Nintendo across social platforms, intensifying efforts to elicit any form of acknowledgment from the renowned Japanese gaming company.
“Hey Nintendo, we’re still waiting to see ‘Not a Nugget’ in Smash Bros Ultimate,” PETA tweeted, accompanied by a winking emoji that many interpreted as dismissive rather than playful.
They hid you cause you’re right lmao
— Gleyber Torres Resurgence Bandwagon (@GleyberRBW) September 20, 2021
This time, the gaming community responded with considerably less amusement. One comment that PETA subsequently concealed questioned, “[weren’t] you guys against Pokemon and fighting animals?”
Understanding the Gaming Community Response
The critical comment likely referenced PETA’s previous creation of ‘Pokemon Black and Blue,’ a parody game promoting the liberation of Pokemon from captivity and encouraging revolutionary action against their trainers.
https://twitter.com/melon_ish/status/1440003487128068097
“These individuals create an awkward tweet and then monitor responses for fifteen minutes specifically to hide critical comments,” another user observed in a quote tweet. “The irony of requesting character inclusion in a game where it would suffer brutal defeat demonstrates remarkable hypocrisy!”
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Gaming communities typically respond negatively to campaigns that appear disingenuous or demonstrate limited understanding of gaming culture. The Not a Nugget campaign faced particular scrutiny due to PETA’s historical opposition to games featuring animal characters, creating perceived inconsistency in their messaging.
Successful gaming integrations typically emerge from authentic collaborations that respect both the game’s creative vision and community expectations. Campaigns perceived as forced or overly commercial often generate immediate backlash from dedicated player bases.
Key Takeaways for Future Campaigns
To date, Nintendo has maintained complete silence regarding PETA’s persistent requests, though many fans humorously speculate about Masahiro Sakurai consuming chicken nuggets during future Smash Ultimate presentations.
This incident offers valuable insights for organizations considering gaming community engagement:
Understand Community History: Research past controversies and community sentiments before launching campaigns. PETA’s previous anti-Pokemon stance directly contradicted their current gaming integration efforts.
Respect Cultural Norms: Gaming communities possess sophisticated understanding of meme culture and marketing tactics. Attempts to manipulate these cultural elements often backfire when perceived as inauthentic.
Consistency Matters: Messaging inconsistencies between past positions and current campaigns create immediate credibility challenges within discerning gaming communities.
Timing and Context: The final DLC fighter slot carries significant emotional weight for dedicated Smash Bros fans, making unsolicited campaign suggestions particularly poorly received.
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » PETA keeps asking Nintendo to add its absurd fighter to Smash & fans are fed up How PETA's Not a Nugget campaign backfired and what it reveals about gaming community dynamics