Marketing and Release
Production of the game was officially announced on March 27, 2008 by IGN and THQ. IGN released their first video game trailer and screenshots for SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. The trailer featured The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) in a tag team match against Randy Orton and Mr. Kennedy at the SummerSlam pay-per-view and the new tag team match features were explained. A commercial for the game was released in October, starring Triple H along with John Cena, Batista, Big Show, Hornswoggle, Lilian Garcia and Kelly Kelly.
A demo for the game was released in October for the PlayStation 3 console, featuring the singles and tag team matches with Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels and Triple H as playable characters.
As with the previous game, a special collector's edition of SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 for the PlayStation 3 was released, which includes the game, special steel cage packaging, and a Blu-ray Disc featuring matches from Raw and SmackDown shows as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the game. This release was exclusive to the North American region.
A similar collector's edition was released in European regions, which features a special plastic ring, which has the same dimensions as a Blu-ray case. It also has the same Blu-ray disc as the North American release included in this package.
In September 2008, the British wrestling and MMA magazine Fighting Spirit published a private memo sent by the WWE to the members of the gaming press that were covering the game's release. The memo instructed the press not to publish screenshots of any characters bleeding or using weapons. Specifically, the memo declared that no Triple H screenshots could be used that showed his character "in a defenseless or vulnerable position." In a blurb titled "Digital Politics," the magazine defied the WWE's demand and published a screenshot of Triple H being dominated by Kane. The magazine Power Slam later corroborated the memo.
On August 4, 2009, THQ re-released SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 as a part of PS3's Greatest Hits collection.
Read more about this topic: WWE Smack Down Vs. Raw 2009
Famous quotes containing the word release:
“The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint. The wise man sees in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)