Editing Plok! (section)

== Release ==
=== Publishing ===
[[File:Shigeru Miyamoto 20150610 (cropped 2).jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] in 2015. He called ''Plok!'' the third-best platform game when the game was still in development and expressed a desire to make it the second-best, above [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]].]]  
Software Creations was so confident in ''Plok!'' that the developer tried to persuade Nintendo to publish it. Reception from the corporation's Japan and American branches was positive.{{Sfn|''GamesTM''|2014|p=10}} [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] expressed strong interest in working on the game; when ''Plok!'' was only half-finished, he wrote a letter to Hay claiming it was the third-best platform game, below [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] and [[Super Mario Bros.|Mario]], and that he would make it the second-greatest in the genre, above Sonic but below Mario.{{Sfn|Bevan|2013|p=78}} Tony Harman, product acquisitions and development manager at Nintendo of America, also visited the studio to play ''Plok!'' four weeks into its development,{{Sfn|Szczepaniak|2020|p=59}} and told Kay that Miyamoto was amazed by the game's audio, to the point of analyzing it.{{Sfn|''NMS''|1995|p=93}} However, Nintendo only published ''Plok!'' in Europe, while Tradewest and Activision published it in North America and Japan, respectively.{{Sfn|Bevan|2013|p=78}} While Nintendo's reasons for this remain undisclosed, Ste believes that Miyamoto found the game, particularly its mini-race levels, too similar to the then-in-development first-party title ''[[Yoshi's Island|Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''.{{Sfn|Bevan|2013|pp=78–79}}

A port for the [[Sega Genesis]] was planned but ultimately cancelled for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yarwood |first1=Jack |title=The SNES Exclusive 'Plok' Almost Got A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Port |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/05/the-snes-exclusive-plok-almost-got-a-sega-mega-drivegenesis-port |website=Time Extension |access-date=February 6, 2024 |date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>

=== Promotion ===
The Pickfords, despite owning the IP and developing ''Plok!'', were never consulted on its promotion.<ref name = "UKprintad"/> Tradewest set ''Plok!''{{'}}s primary demographic at gamers aged six to fourteen.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pickford |first=Ste|date=29 November 2018|url=http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/archive/view.php?post=947|title=Plok SNES flyer – back|website=Zee-3|accessdate=21 February 2021}}</ref> Although published by Tradewest in the United States, ''Plok!'' still received promotion from [[Nintendo of America]]; a complete guide and review was published in the October 1993 issue of its magazine ''[[Nintendo Power]]'',{{Sfn|''Nintendo Power''|1993a|pp=101, 105}}{{Sfn|''Nintendo Power''|1993b|pp=30–34}} and a two-page section in a ''[[Nintendo Player's Guide]]'' book for ''[[Mario Paint]]'' (1993) included templates of body part stamps to animate Plok and the flea enemies, along with a background painting based on one of the Cotton Island levels.{{Sfn|Nintendo of America|1993|pp=58–59}} In the United Kingdom, Nintendo released a [[VHS tape]], ''Super Mario All-Stars Video'' (1993); hosted by [[Craig Charles]], the video features a segment of testers at Nintendo UK promoting upcoming games, including ''Plok!''{{Sfn|Nintendo UK|1993|loc=8:36–8:55}} ''[[Club Nintendo]]'', Germany's official Nintendo magazine, ran a comic strip where Plok races with Mario at an Olympic match in space.{{Sfn|''Club Nintendo''|1994|pp=58–59}}

Some print advertising was later criticized by Ste for not showcasing enough of the game itself.<ref name = "UKprintad"/><ref name = "USprintad">{{cite web|last=Pickford|first=Ste|date=10 October 2013|url=http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/press/view.php?post=741|title=Plok US print advert #1 – SNES|website=Zee-3|accessdate=21 February 2021}}</ref> Tradewest's US print advertisement depicted the top half taken up by ''[[Double Dragon]]'' and ''[[Battletoads]]'', with the bottom half showing an image of the Plok character; the only information revealed was that ''Plok!'' was published by the two other franchises.<ref name = "USprintad"/> Nintendo's UK print ad depicted a faux desktop screenshot with an image of an angry old lady in the house as the wallpaper; the only ''Plok!'' visual depicted was its box art, placed in the bottom right and very small-sized.<ref name = "UKprintad">{{cite web|last=Pickford|first=Ste|date=10 October 2013|url=http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/press/view.php?post=741|title=Plok UK print advert – SNES|website=Zee-3|accessdate=21 February 2021}}</ref>

However, other print advertisements were much more true to the game, such as Tradewest's series of comic book panel ads named ''The Adventures of Plok'', which explored Plok's origins within the storyline.<ref>{{harvnb|''EGM''|1993a|p=11}}; {{harvnb|''EGM''|1993b|p=77}}</ref>

''Plok!'' was first announced in June 1993; upon its announcement, an ''[[Europress|N-Force]]'' journalist called it one of the most "surreal" games in the September 1993 line-up.{{Sfn|''N-Force''|1993|p=11}} Tradewest presented ''Plok!'' at the summer 1993 [[Consumer Electronics Show]]; a ''GameFan'' writer called Tradewest "one of the [show's] most impressive third-party line-ups," highlighting ''Plok!'' as "a colorful new action title with a lead character that hurls his arms and legs at attackers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_1_Issue_09/page/n99/mode/2up?q=plok|title=Summer CES|work=GameFan|date=September 1993|page=100|volume=1|number=9|accessdate=16 February 2021}}</ref>