Bring new VR game to market with an innovative & immersive campaign on a shoestring budget 

Details:

Role: Creative Director, Executive Producer, Director, & Co-Writer
Client: Skydance Interactive
Agency: AV Squad

The Challenge:

Launching the new Walking Dead VR game required an immersive & innovative campaign on par with the deep levels of fandom the IP has so that we could maintain the game’s promise. In order to do this on a shoestring budget, we wrote, directed, edited, and sound designed a 10-episode feature length narrative podcast voiced entirely by a single actress. The podcast was presented like a real-life show, only to descend into a zombie apocalypse by the third episode, creating an Alternate Reality Game for fans to immerse themselves in. To further propel the immersive nature of the campaign, we also created a PlayStation VR gameplay trailer that opened with a custom-built cinematic we designed within the Unreal Engine. This workflow allowed us to craft a breathless opening without any edits, which then flowed perfectly into traditional gameplay capture – blending immersion with action

Results:

→ Helped propel $29MM year-one revenue, making Walking Dead Saints & Sinners one of the best-selling VR titles of all time
→ Our original podcast narrative was so loved by the IP licensor Skybound that they made the story official Walking Dead canon
→ Podcast was shortlisted for a Clio award 
→ On-time and on-budget delivery of all creative
→ Established trust and built new client relationship with Skydance Interactive