Press Release: 1997-02-05: Vengeance on AOL is Yours, Sayeth SegaSoft

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: www.wired.com (archived)

John Alderman; 02.05.1997 04:50 AM



Jumping on the bandwagon of resentment sweeping the AOL world, SegaSoft unleashes its defacing software.



IN THE TIME-HONORED tradition of throwing yucky things at whatever bothers you, SegaSoft, a division of Sega, has been beta-testing Web Vengeance by encouraging members to bash AOL. The software allows users to deface Web sites with an array of obnoxious items - hand grenades, rotten eggs, cruise missiles, dirty diapers, and other disgusting objects ad nauseum - but it doesn't actually harm the target site, only making changes in the user's display.

Although Web Vengeance has been in beta since 18 December, Marty Franz, SegaSoft's VP of technology, said the company began marketing its hack at frustrated AOL users on 30 January, hoping to "jump on the bandwagon" of resentment sweeping the AOL world. Sega's slogan - "get rich destroying the things you hate" - is proving to be very popular: Hits from Web Vengeance to AOL have had an eight-fold increase. Users are encouraged to save screenshots of their AOL defacings, which they can mail to SegaSoft's Hall of Shame. The best entry, judged by SegaSoft, wins a prize of US$1,000.

Contradicting the popular perception that AOL is humorless, the network has reacted by incorporating on its page a line of SegaSoft's HTML which Web Vengeance reads as an instruction to create defenses. When players try to throw food, for instance, a cafeteria tray will appear and catch the projectiles. Lori von Rueden, SegaSoft's director of marketing, said SegaSoft was so impressed it was thinking of awarding an additional creative prize to AOL.

Franz said the idea behind Web Vengeance goes further than just serving the destructive urge, but rather represents a first step in making browsers, which he characterized as "corporate" and boring, more fun for viewers. The official release date for Web Vengeance is 1 March, and it will sell for $20.