SEGA
Thinking like a gamer
Brief
With massive amounts of violence and gore, MadWorld was a dramatic and highly controversial departure from the Wii console’s focus on casual games. We were tasked with developing the big campaign idea that would show off the game’s visceral action, while surviving the scrutiny of various advertising regulatory bodies – not easy for an 18+ title.
Approach
We wanted to create global web trailers and TV ads that would entertain and get people talking. We explored the product through our 18+ ‘hard-gore’ gamers' Neighbourhood and found that, while most ordinary people saw gratuitous blood and violence, real fans appreciated the black humour and sheer revelry of this wilfully OTT title.
Solution
We honed in on the comedy element of the game. Our big idea was ‘MadWorld. Killer Entertainment.’ an irreverent and over-the-top sports-style ESPN-esque show with commentary that leveraged the game’s capacity for ‘creative killing’. We developed a series of TV ads and web trailers, following the protagonist as he rampaged through the game, featuring scripts and graphic devices that connected the show to features of the game.
Results
As one of the first brands to challenge the status quo on Wii with an entirely different proposition, Madworld smashed forecasts. With more ‘extreme-theme’ games in the pipeline, it has successfully positioned SEGA as a trail-blazer in Wii development. Trailers reviewed at a high 9.2 on gametrailers.com.
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