Bomb squad called to Ninemsn's offices after PR stunt to promote Ubisoft's Watch Dogs game goes wrong

Sydney's bomb squad was called to the offices of an Australian news website on Wednesday after a PR stunt to promote Ubisoft's Watch Dogs game went wrong.

A reporter called Sydney police to Ninemsn's headquarters about a suspicious package she had been sent.

The package consisted of a black safe, like those found in hotel rooms, which was posted with a blacked-out note telling her to "check her voicemail". She doesn't use voicemail – and when staff attempted to open the safe, it "began to beep".

After calling other newsrooms and finding that none had received similar packages, staff called police. Four police cars and a police rescue unit arrived, evacuated the office, and scanned the package before moving it to the basement for safety and then forcing it open.

Inside they found a copy of Watch Dogs, a new game about hackers taking on a corrupt government in the city of Chicago.

A spokesman for Ubisoft, the game's publisher, said "as part of a themed promotion for Watch Dogs, our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they’d receive a special package related to the game.

"Unfortunately, the delivery to Ninemsn didn't go as planned, and we unreservedly apologise to Ninemsn’s staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result."

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