The 2015 Game Awards have come and gone, and with it, a new enemy has been born. Throughout the award show festivities, viewers were constantly bombarded with Shick’s corporate shill of a mascot, Hydrobot. Hydrobot appeared on the broadcast multiple times, inducing groans from gamers and non-gamers alike.
The half power ranger, half five-blade razor man is nightmare fuel. Wearing sponsored armor with a blade for a head and no eyes or facial features, Hydrobot was supposed to be the cool, hip gamer mascot for the show. Instead, he was a giant meme. In a show, where awards weren’t presented due to time constraints, Hydrobot managed to capture plenty of screen time – including this “gamer” commercial where Hydrobot faces off against a lube strip razor.
OK….
There’s no issue with Schick shamelessly promoting its products during an award show, but unleashing a monstrosity like Hydrobot and trying to relate him to gamers is awful marketing. I’m sure the pitch was awesome from the Schick marketing department, but making a fake Hydrobot game based off the mascot comes across as extremely shortsighted. No gamer wants that. Nobody wants that.
At least people watching at home and at the show had fun with making fun of Hydrobot.
https://twitter.com/JimSterling/status/805023070989729792
https://twitter.com/agentbizzle/status/804529979446857728
Show ends with Duke Nukem shaving his nude body with the Schick Hydrobot, bleeding heavily, quips "I've got Trump on speed dial!" then farts
— Woney For Nothing (@NonTrotski) December 2, 2016
Holy shit John blow is fighting the schick hydrobot on stage. Everyone is screaming. John is bleeding a lot but he's not stopping
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) December 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/GeoffTheHero/status/804528203570085889
Please, Schick, I beg you, take one of the blades from Hydrobot’s head and stab him through the heart. He was fun to meme to make fun of, but this marketing mascot needs to die. It’s awful in every regard.
