HOW WE ACTIVATED THE MASS — AND A COMPANY OF MERCENARIES

Digital Campaign

HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE DIGITAL CHECKMATE? THREE ROOKS AT A TIME.

With Season Five, Call of Duty: Warzone wasn't just introducing new ways and places to play—it was also deploying a new faction to play with: Shadow Company.

Here's how we introduced these mercenaries to the world.

To promote the arrival of Shadow Company in Verdansk, our partners at Activision Blizzard asked us to send the mercenaries’ iconic symbol—the black rook—to three influencers around the world.

To honor these top-tier operators, a few tactics were critical:

1) AUTHENTICITY: Each rook had to feel plucked from the shelf of Shadow Company’s storied legacy
2) CONTENT RICH: Layers of Easter eggs had to arm each influencer with content for their audience
3) SHOCK-AND-AWE: A false-bottom needed to stow mission intel for each influencer
4) SURGICAL: With about one week from brief to delivery, every second counted

Here’s how we designed, fabricated, and delivered three custom-crafted care packages that spellbound influencers and debriefed millions of fans around the world into Shadow Company and Season Five of Call of Duty: Warzone.

Client

Activision Blizzard

Project

Call of Duty: Warzone – Shadow Company

What We Did

Design
3D Render
Copywriting
Fabrication + Production

THE ROOK

Inspired by the black rook in Shadow Company's insignia, we brought the squad's signature symbol into the real-world, elevating it with a weighted, premium feel and matte black finish.

THE FABRICATION

Designed to be showcased on streamers' shelves, our 9" rooks were customized from the ground up and built-to-order. After designing in 3D and printing molds, each unit was poured and finished by hand.

THE RECIPIENTS

Each rook was individualized with a metallic letter that introduced influencer recipients to Shadow Company and its commander, Lerch. Our streamers then unboxed the rooks live -- discovering hidden content alongside their fans.

THE FALSE BOTTOM

We didn't just send rooks—we also sent intel. Each rook boasted a magnetic false bottom that housed a hidden tactical USB drive. These drives provided each influencer with an exclusive video clip to broadcast live for their audience.

THE CONTENT

Each package boasted layers of content: Streamers not only saw their names atop each metal letter, but the underlined word 'magnet' hinted at the false bottom. Beyond each USB's video, the rooks' packing material was actually shredded in-game location maps.

THE ROOKS' REVEAL

Our influencers unboxed each rook live, revealing the hidden USB's content mid-stream. This not only triggered massive speculation amongst fans on the clips' meaning, but set the stage for Season Five's reveal, which premiered shortly after.

CHECKMATE

Our care-packages primed the Call of Duty community for Season Five, reaching 696 million and setting the stage for Shadow Company’s arrival in-game.