Our Work

Atari: Champions Online

A Facebook application gets gamers and their friends excited about the upcoming release of a new video game.

Background

The September 1st release of Champions Online, a new video game from acclaimed Cryptic Studios, was exciting news for gamers. The game features rich detail and billions of character creation combinations. To build buzz and give gamers a taste of the game experience, Atari asked agency Social Tyze and Friend2Friend to build an application on Facebook that would create awareness and leverage the rich visuals and unique style of the upcoming video game.

Objectives

  1. Build excitement for gamers by giving them a teaser of the upcoming game and it’s characters
  2. Leverage Facebook to spread the word to friends of gamers
  3. Build anticipation for the September 1st game release
  4. Create a Facebook presence and Fan base for a new game

Results

Friend2Friend’s “Which Champion Are You?” application allowed users to select attributes like powers, physique, and fighting style to create a custom Champion figure. The cool characters and rich visuals built by the user are then posted to a gallery and to the participant’s Facebook feed, inspiring their friends to try out the app, learn more about Champions Online, and become a fan.

For six weeks prior to the September 1st game launch, participants of the “Which Champion Are You?” application could also become a fan, register with Champions Online, browse the gallery of Champions, and enter a contest to win an Alien gaming computer and Atari games.

During that six-week period, the application was installed over 46,000 times, and over 18,000 champions were created, with an average time spent of 4 ½ minutes. As a result of the interaction, 3.4 million social impressions were generated from fan participation, through newsfeeds, wall posts, and other interactions. By the launch of the video game, the Champions Online fan page had over 13,000 fans…and counting. Perhaps even more significant, fans were enthusiastic and interactive – a September 1st Fan Page post announcing the release received 149 “Likes” and 62 comments. The campaign had successfully built an engaged fan base that eagerly anticipated the launch of Champions Online.