I’d say it’s unethical for any media to use the image of another company’s product without paying for it. I’ve never really understood the issue with product placement, though, as long as it’s a natural fit.
Yeah, I understand people may disagree, but I think using the image crosses the line into territory where you should pay a small royalty. After all, you are using the image of another company.
I think, in the end it’s a completely meaningless decision to make it look like they don’t support gun manufacturers while continuing to make violent video games that have real guns in them.
I’m not seeing how this is a good move. They’ll continue to depict the same weapons in their games, they just won’t pay for the right to do it. That doesn’t seem ethical to me to knowingly use someone else’s intellectual property or trademarks without paying them.
