Xbox Launches Sunset Overdrive w/ AR Campaigns
Xbox is using augmented reality digital out of home in a global campaign to promote the launch of new open world game, Sunset Overdrive.
Conceived by Xbox and Dentsu Aegis, and produced by Grand Visual, the campaign will see an augmented reality (AR) execution installed as part of an experiential event at Canary Wharf in London. The activation forms part of the international campaign that also features AR activity in San Francisco (picture shown above) and Melbourne during the week of the game’s worldwide launch.
Available exclusively on the Xbox One, Sunset Overdrive is an open world third-person shooter set in the fictional metropolis of Sunset City in the year 2027. The game requires players to tackle legions of mutants — created when people consumed a new energy drink called Overcharge Delirium XT — and team up with other survivors to escape the city.
The creative for the campaign draws on key aspects of Sunset Overdrive’s story and gameplay to create a digital out of home AR experience that conveys the dynamism and excitement of the game. Each of the three international activations is based on a similar concept, but creative has been tailored to the specific country, location, and screen environment.
In the UK, the activity will take place at Canary Wharf where Grand Visual is working with Dentsu Aegis, JCDecauxLive, and Russell Signs to create a special build site that incorporates a large LCD screen into a purpose built crate. Creative for the Canary Wharf activation features four different augmented reality concepts played in a loop.
Members of the public will be presented with an immersive experience in which hordes of mutants will appear to come to life in front of their eyes. Creative will also feature an image of the Overcharge Delirium XT energy drink, the game poster, and game release date information. The UK activity starts 27th October and continues until 31st October.
Lydia Osborne, Dentsu Aegis said of the UK event: “Xbox has pushed the boundaries with this unique execution. We are breaking the conventions of Canary Wharf, a key London business hub, by surprising commuters with the action and excitement of Sunset Overdrive. Bringing the characters to life by pushing the limits of augmented reality and merging Sunset Overdrive into the real world. We are incredibly proud and excited to be developing such ambitious and market leading campaigns with Microsoft on a global scale, while incorporating a local approach in the UK.”
Activity in San Francisco and Melbourne will also use interactive screens and augmented reality to create scenes in which crazed mutants appear to swarm streets and rail stations. The San Francisco activity begins 27th October and will run for four weeks. The Melbourne activation will run from 30th October through to 3rd November.
Speaking about the global campaign, Dan Dawson, Creative Technology Director of Grand Visual, said: “What this campaign demonstrates is that the proliferation of interactive screens offers brands and agencies an international canvas for creating engaging digital out-of-home campaigns. This campaign has made full use of Grand Visual’s global teams, our knowledge of the worldwide DOOH landscape, and our experience in interactivity and augmented reality. The result is multiple immersive activations, born from a single concept, that will be experienced by people on three continents simultaneously.”
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