BLIZZARD
We’re Looking for Brains
The Challenge
Hearthstone is a digital card game where players use strategic thinking to outsmart and outplay their opponent. And while Hearthstone has grown in popularity among the gaming community, other audiences are often hesitant to play because they feel that there is a learning curve and a high barrier to entry. This year, Hearthstone was launching a simpler and more accessible version of the game called Mercenaries. This version of the game is meant to bring in a broader audience outside of gaming.
The Insight
Our target – the “mental athlete” – significantly preferred games that challenged their mind and used creativity as a major psychological driver. Whether new or existing users, these gamers were strategically savvy and looking for something new. Enter Mercenaries – with a specific assembly of heroes and more intuitive gameplay – we looked to broaden our cultural appeal and create a rallying cry for the game.
The Approach
We developed two parallel campaigns to drive awareness and invite everyone to try Mercenaries. The first direction focused on launching the game and introducing what made the new format new and interesting. We developed long- and short-form spots that included a bevy of familiar faces/characters and pulled at the strategic heartstrings of our audience.
In an effort to expand our reach, we developed a second direction called The Brain’s Last Stand. Aiming to explain that you don’t have to be a genius to succeed at Hearthstone, we reached out to strategic genius Garry Kasparov, offering him the chance to play AI in Hearthstone and avenge his loss to IBM’s Deep Blue in 1997. Over the course of a few weeks, we taught Kasparov how to play the game and we filmed his journey. On match day, as Kasparov thought he was playing against AI, his real opponent—a Hearthstone player known as Slysssa—was behind the scenes playing against him in another room. In a best of three, Kasparov lost the first, won the second, and in a dramatic finish, he was narrowly defeated.
The Result
In the first week alone, the documentary generated 775K views on YouTube and was overwhelmingly well-received – garnering a 73% positive like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube. In total, the Kasparov documentary generated over 18M views globally and saw Gary Kasparov continue to improve as a Hearthstone player, ever after we filmed – earning elite status by the campaign’s end.
The launch campaign followed a similar suit – generating ample downloads and incremental users for the new game mode. However, given the significant popularity and traction of The Brain’s Last Stand, we decided to shift media spend to amplify the documentary.
PR Coverage for The Brain’s Last Stand was strong out of the gate – taking on a global presence in Europe generated significant buzz in North America.