PlayStation

God of War Ragnarök Launch Campaign

All parents can relate to Kratos

The ask

How do we get everyone outside the gaming world to care?

Develop a campaign that resonates with a mainstream audience

The inspiration

A tonal shift came from the success of 2018’s storyline

Our research revealed a surprising shift in tone for the franchise after the introduction of Kratos’ Son, Atreus. From a violent God to a struggling father, the internet suddenly saw Kratos in a different light and gave us a surprising way in with humor.

The Idea

The relatability of parenthood with a bit of absurdity

One of the many things we know about parents is they stick together. The proliferation of parent influencers and resources across the internet coupled with the countless in-person meetups and support groups prove it.

And within all those groups are people who believe in a wide range of parenting styles and preach the benefits to others. So we asked ourselves: why not someone who resonates so deeply with Kratos as a father that they want to share that way of parenting with others?

The execution

Three dads, their kids, a loincloth and an ax

Between the campaign’s debut during the World Series, an exclusive extended cut on Entertainment Weekly and the massive exposure of our follow-up interview spots customized for each celebrity’s social channel, we instantly grabbed the attention of an entirely new audience for the game.

John Travolta

Lebron James

Ben Stiller

The Results

God of War: Ragnarök became the fastest-selling first party launch game in PlayStation history, selling 5.1 million copies in the first 5 days. That beat 2018’s franchise record of 5 million units in one month in less than a week.

The record-setting pace didn’t stop there: in the 3 months since it’s release, God of War: Ragnarök topped 11 million in sales, while 2018 took over a year to break 10 million.

The reaction

‘LeBreakthrough’ with old and new fans alike

We took a big moment in gaming and made it a big moment in entertainment as a whole: tens of millions of views of our content and 92% positive sentiment from both old and new fans of the franchise, with many saying it reminded them of the good old days of gaming commercials.