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Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures may be old news in the US but the European launch is only just happening, and to remind everyone of that fact publisher Bandai Namco has picked a rather unique approach when it comes to promotion: projecting a massive image of Pac-Man himself onto Sega's HQ in Chiswick, West London.

Using some of the most powerful projectors in the world — capable of filling an area 30m wide x 25m high — an 80-foot tall image of the famous pill-popper was splashed across the imposing building, visible from the M4 motorway which runs alongside the structure. The spectacle lasted only a few minutes however, as security guards spotted the image and pulled the plug.

London resident Robert Leney was one of the many people who spotted the stunt before it was all over, and he had this to say:

I’ve been travelling home on the M4 every night for the last 15 years and the massive Sonic character has always been a marker that I’m entering London. I was in complete shock to see it had been taken over by PAC MAN. It’s all good though as I love seeing my two favourite childhood video game characters reunited again.

Bandai Namco's Lee Kirton obviously wasn't too downhearted that the event only lasted five minutes, and has released the following message:

We wanted to be cheeky, create some fun, but obviously do it quietly. Something that’s hard to do in the game’s industry, but slightly easier at midnight. We hope Sega aren't offended, more delighted.

As an interesting aside, it's worth noting that former Bandai Namco staffer Peter Oliver is now employed as PR Manager at Sega Europe — could this apparent case of "commercial sabotage" have been nothing more than a good-natured trick concocted in secret by the two publishers? We'll leave you to decide on that, but it's certainly an interesting way to generate publicity.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures is based on the popular animated television series, and will be available on the 3DS and Wii U. It hits the UK on March 7th, and launched in North America in October last year.