Diablo IV

The Challenge:
Blizzard was releasing their new Diablo IV extension, Vessel of Hatred, which introduced the brand new region Nehantu, bringing the game into the jungle for the first time. They came to us to launch it with a bang, with the goal of not only exciting current Diablo IV gamers and previous players who’d fallen out of love with Diablo, but also breaking through broader culture. We needed to come up with a stunt that spoke to not only traditional gamers, but was also relevant to people with no ties to the gaming world.

The Strategic Insight:
We found that, paradoxically, the two things that unite humans across subcultures and through time and space, is love and hate. And while there’s a lot of shit talking on the internet, nobody seems to talk more shit than Diablo IV gamers. They don’t just love to hate on other games and other gamers, they also love to hate on their own beloved Diablo IV. So to launch Vessel of Hatred, we wanted to let our fans show their love in the only way they truly knew how.

The Big Idea:
Introducing Diablo IV Vases of Hatred, the first delivery service from hell, empowering you to send a vase of toxic jungle flowers to whichever enemy your heart desires. On our site, fans could pick their target, generate a custom demonic message, and even have their toxic bouquet delivered by an actual demon. We hyped up Vases of Hatred with a stunt in Times Square, a Diablo IV clad Demon shocking passersby on the street and handing them toxic flowers that led them to our site. People ended up sending vases to their friends, their twitch rivals, their exes, their spouses, and even Diablo IV execs. Our Vases sold out within 24 hours, and fans were scrambling to get their hands on one, doing anything from bidding on eBay for a vase to 3d printing their own. With zero paid media dollars, we brought out the fans in mass and converted online trash talk into actual game playing, in turn giving fans a reason to fall back in love with Diablo.

The Results:
-- 27+ M total impressions
-- 98% website completion rate
-- 33% of site visitors started playing the game immediately, resulting in the highest played new class in Diablo’s history