As fans of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo know, the tension between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells lies at the heart of the beloved video game series.
Since Diablo III’s release in 2012, fans have waited over nine years for the next installment to come, and its arrival is finally here with the long-awaited launch of Diablo IV this week.
With its open-world format, Diablo IV allows for more freedom than ever to journey through the game, which means more opportunities for death (and victories!) alike as players navigate between regions, slip into secret hideouts, and engage with new characters versus advancing linearly level by level.
Lilith serves as Diablo IV’s central figure, one of the key characters gamers must contend with to advance and ultimately win. A layered character, she has an intricate, complicated story. On one hand, she is the daughter of Hatred. On the other hand, her desire to protect her children ultimately drives her actions.
Players have already been waging battle with the High Heavens and the Burning Hells in the newly released Diablo IV since June 2nd, and their hard work is not for nothing. To celebrate fallen heroes who have gone up against Lilith, Blizzard Entertainment and global creative agency VCCP have launched #DiabloDeaths, a social activation designed to celebrate the risks that come with gameplay.
“At VCCP, we pride ourselves on helping our clients cut through clutter across their respective industries to engage fans in a memorable way,” said Brett Edgar, CEO at VCCP US. “The work the team did for this promotion delivered an engaging social media activation that should have Diablo diehards and newcomers alike hitting download in anticipation of death or glory.”
Diablo IV players can submit footage of their in-game deaths using the hashtag #DiabloDeaths across Twitter or TikTok. In return, actress Megan Fox, a female figure in Hollywood whose strength rivals that of Lilith, will respond to select players with a eulogy via the @Diablo Twitter or TikTok accounts throughout the day. You can check out the teaser below:
REELated:
“With the launch of Diablo IV, we want to keep excitement alive amongst our fan base,” said Kaleb Ruel, Vice President, Global Marketing at Blizzard Entertainment. “We tasked VCCP with devising an idea that uses key themes from the game to drive conversation, and they’ve delivered with this clever way of honoring fallen fans.”
This effort marks the second from Blizzard Entertainment and VCCP to engage fans ahead of Diablo IV’s launch. This spring, the partners launched a contest for Diablo fans to win a Thumbtack credit toward household chores, encouraging fans to use it as they binge-play the game when it gets released this summer.
“Diablo IV deals with grand themes of life and death. We wanted to make every player’s fate matter, so we’re treating them as realistically as possible: with custom eulogies for the dead courtesy of Megan Fox,” noted Geoff Vreeken, Creative Director at VCCP US. “These moments might have occurred virtually, but they’re still iconic.”
CREDITS
CLIENT: Blizzard Entertainment
- Kaleb Ruel – VP, Global Head of Marketing
- Daniela Rodriguez – Director, Global Marketing
- Pat Coyle – Global Digital Marketing Manager
- Allen Ortega – Associate Digital Marketing Manager
- Christopher Tai – Program Manager, Diablo IV Global Marketing
AGENCY: VCCP
- Joel Kaplan – ECD, Partner
- Geoff Vreeken – Creative Director
- Caroline Johnson – Sr. Copywriter
- Matt DeMilner – Art Director
- Katy Aquino – Director of Creative Operations
- Cara Orlowski – Director of Business Affairs
- Jessica Ambrose – Executive Producer
- Erin Kelly – Integrated Producer
- Gretchen Lally – Account Director
- Katie Nichols – Account Manager
- Brendan Robertson – Chief Strategy Officer, Associate Partner
- Joey Zolfaghari – Associate Director, Social Strategy
PRODUCTION: UNIT9
- Hal Kirkland – Director
- Michelle Craig – Creative Partner
- Mindy Lubert – Director of Production
- Emily Malito – Executive Producer
- Taylor Björn Bro – Producer
- Powell Robinson – Director of Photography
- Mike Bell – 1st AD
- Johny R. Long – Production Designer
- Taylor Brown – Production Manager
EDIT: Cosmo Street
Teaser + Launch
- Editor: Dave Otte
- Senior Assistant Editor: Rich Gonzalez
- After Effects Artist/Animator: John Erdman
- Producer: Dianne Rodriguez
- HoP: Kacie Gomez
- EP: Marie Mangahas
- Partner/Managing Director: Yvette Cobarrubias
Eulogies
- Editor: Rich Gonzalez
- After Effects Artist/Animator: John Erdman
- Producer: Dianne Rodriguez
- HoP: Kacie Gomez
- EP: Marie Mangahas
- Partner/Managing Director: Yvette Cobarrubias
