The Boundless Creativity of Game Developers
For Advertising Agencies with game development and publishing clients, the future seems bound for an upward trajectory of new creative opportunities for initiating resourceful brand communication campaigns.
Spurred on by the active engagement of ‘gamers’ across the world, that Newzoo Insights 2021 numbers as an eye-opening 2.9 Billion participators, the gaming industry continues enjoying a year-on-year, average growth rate, of 5.6%.
As the the world’s fasted growing creative industry, of multi-disciplinary creative skills, and motion graphic crafts, game development and publishing currently generates revenues that are more than double that of the film industry, and forecasters predict that will escalate to as much as 219 Billion Pounds Sterling, or more than 302 Billion US dollars by 2027.
Key factors in driving growth are expected to be innovative technological advancements in both hardware and software, access to games becoming easier, the expanding age range of gamers, and the increasing interest of corporate enterprises and educational institutes in adopting gaming for deeper and cognitive learning opportunities.
1. Call of Duty, Moment of Truth
Advertising Agency: Stendahls, Gothenburg, Sweden
Film Production Company: Fanny & Alexander, Stockholm, Sweden
Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, Call of Duty is the third best-selling, first-person shooter video game franchise of all time.
Starting out in 2003, the game focused on World War II, but over time, the series was expanded to include Cold War themes, futuristic worlds, and outer space.
The Stendahls Agency, conceptualised a unique approach of using influencers to introduce a new episode of the Cold War theme to the ‘Call of Duty, Black Ops’ series.
The ‘Moment of Truth’ promotional campaign, features several films of influencers being brought to a secret underground interrogation room, and compelled by a Russian agent to take lie detector tests in answering questions posed by their followers.
2. Sony PlayStation, Play Has No Limits
Advertising Agency: adam & eve/DDB, London, UK
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s epic ‘Play Has No Limits’ commercial is about elevating game-play experiences to spectacular new heights.
Cinematically directed by the skilfully talented filmmaker Francois Rousselet, the imaginatively conceived scenario features two rival kings vying for supremacy of a metropolis in a utopian battle of carefully calculated chess-player moves.
The film singles out a ‘Pawn’ in the crowd travelling through the city, that is laid out like a giant chessboard, and follows her strategic actions that culminate in an entertaining end to the visually impressive commercial.
The “Blue Monday” music soundtrack, is by composer and music producer Sebastian Böhm, based in Hamburg, Germany.
3. Microsoft Xbox, Games Change Your World
Advertising Agency: Gnet, Los Angeles, California, USA
Directed by filmmaker David Moodie and produced by Gnet, the multi-Clio Award winning agency and three-time PromaxGAMES Agency of the Year recipient, ‘Games Change Your World’ features actor and stuntman Simu Liu, star of the upcoming Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings.
The commercial, in which Simu relates how falling in love, with sweeping epics, compelling plots, and every great story well-told, is always a love story, is a preview of exciting upcoming game titles by Microsoft in collaboration with their acquired asset of Bethesda, the Rockville, Maryland based soft-works video game publisher, and invites Xbox viewers to take some time to discover and feel what its love stories are all about.
The soundtrack song of “The Girl I Haven’t Met” is by singer, songwriter, Nate Richert.
4. Nintendo Switch, Rainy Days
Advertising Agency: We the Collective, Vancouver, Canada
Switch is Nintendo’s popular hybrid console that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device.
Directed by filmmaker Jono Hunter, ‘Rainy Days’ stars Canadian actress Annie Murphy in an upbeat commercial that charismatically depicts how she switches from house-bound to boundless fun with Nintendo.
Her rainy day engagements embrace a light workout playing Ring Fit Adventure, a game of chess with her mother on Clubhouse Games, a round of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with her best friend, and dressing up in an 80s costume for playing Just Dance 2021.
5. Sega, Humankind
Advertising Agency: BETC, Paris, France
The Sega Corporation is a Japanese multinational video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo.
Sega’s ‘Humankind’, developed by French video game studio Amplitude, invites gamers to have rip-roaring fun recreating history.
Directed by filmmaker Romain Chassing, the ‘Humankind’ scenario depicts an engaging voyage into the imaginative mind of college student that is an epically cinematic, Clio Award-winning commercial.
6. Verizon, Can’t Blame the Lag
Advertising Agency: McCann, New York, USA
Animation and VFX Design Studio: House of Parliament, Los Angeles, USA
Mobile Network provider Verizon Communications’ 5G Ultra Wideband makes access to video games more affordable, easier, and speedier with ultra-low lag.
The 2021 ‘Can’t Blame the Lag’ Super Bowl commercial, directed by filmmaker Bryan Buckley, stars actor Samuel L. Jackson, and American football wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, as video game characters.
The impressively conceived scenario, in which Samuel L. Jackson takes a stand against blaming lag for poor performance in video games, is cinematic in scope and widely entertaining for gamers of all ages.