“Unfortunately, we couldn’t adjust it whilst on air.”
The UK’s games industry body has distanced itself from an embarrassing BBC blunder, after an original NES Super Mario Bros. cartridge was shown jammed into an SNES console
In the breakfast TV segment broadcast this morning, UKIE boss Nick Poole introduced hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent to a selection of retro systems, including a ZX81, a Nintendo Wii, and an SNES. And despite Nugent’s palpable disbelief that her co-host Kay had “spent hours — days” enjoying the original Donkey Kong, it was the incorrect set-up that really got people talking.
“Great to see this content on [a] mainstream channel, but a NES cart on a SNES? And where’s the greatest, and UK’s biggest selling 16-bit console, the SEGA Mega Drive?” asked one respondent in the comments, while another suggested on Reddit: “They should have gone full mental and added a GameCube controller.”
“I want to report a crime,” wrote another in a comment that has been upvoted hundreds of times.”
This display was either set up by someone who knows nothing about games, or someone who knows a lot about games and wants to screw with this subreddit,” posited another respondent, while another simply wrote: “*external screaming*”
In response, UKIE distanced itself from the mistake, telling VGC: “For transparency, the studio team set up the in-studio display independently and handled the placement of the consoles — unfortunately, we couldn’t adjust it whilst on air.”
In related Nintendo-flavored news, the director of the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza recently acknowledged “performance” issues, while saying the team prioritized “fun and playability” during development.
Image credit: BBC
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
