Pimax Issues Apology Following Controversy Over Secret Social Media Incentive Program

You ever notice how brand ambassador programs are like, everywhere these days? I mean, they’re pushing products through influencers and whatnot. But just last week, Pimax kinda overstepped. They had to admit it too. Turns out, this PC VR headset company was going for some sneaky promotional stuff, trying to get folks to post positively about them in forums. Talk about a backfire.

So here’s how it started: this Reddit user—who goes by ‘Mavgaming1’—spilled the beans. They leaked some private chats from Pimax’s official Discord. Pimax was, no joke, asking people to join a Community Engagement Program. Basically, you’d post about them on social media, get rewards. Sounded fishy to me.

This whole thing, Pimax even confirmed it. Before they axed it after the leak, the rewards were wild. Like, from tiny $5 Steam gift cards to big discounts on future Pimax gear. And the ultimate prize was this $1,000 trip to their HQ in Shanghai. Seriously, they’d fly you out—crazy, right?

All participants had to do was write a great review on Reddit or wherever, get it approved by Pimax, post it, and earn points. Weirdly structured, if you ask me. There were even guidelines shared with Mavgaming1.

Like, suggested topics were “Your First VR Experience with Pimax” and tips to hype their headsets. And the craziest part—the whole thing had the flavor of astroturfing. They were manufacturing good vibes for their products, including the new Crystal Super headset and Dream Air whatever-it’s-called.

But wait, Pimax’s side of the story? The company says it wasn’t an official program. They blamed it on some rogue employees. Yeah, right. They supposedly shut it down immediately and claimed they never paid for positive press before. Believe that if you want.

Their Head of Communications, Jaap Grolleman—you know, the face of Pimax these days—explained to Road to VR that the messages weren’t official. They were just internal Discord stuff. Funny, right? Never heard of approvals?

Grolleman insists they’ve never forced anyone to be positive about Pimax over the last decade, except this one time—seriously. No reviews were actually posted thanks to this flop of an idea.

This couldn’t just be a marketing oopsie though; it might’ve breached laws in various places. The U.S.’s FTC, for example, has rules—no deceitful marketing without disclosure. You can’t just pay people to say nice things secretly. It’s against the law. And it’s not just the U.S., the UK, and the EU have similar rules against sneaky marketing.

All in all, Pimax tripped up big time, trying to play the system. But this whole unraveling? It’s another day in tech-town, I guess.