Starfield Case Study
Bethesda Softworks
WINNER 2024
Best Branded Content Campaign
Best Branded Entertainment: Original Film/Video
Gold - Gaming Strategy
INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
THE CHALLENGE
Bethesda Game Studios was preparing to launch its first new IP in 25 years, and looked to Liquid Advertising to take their media campaign into hyperdrive. In an industry where success was usually found in sequels, building a blockbuster IP from the ground up was a huge risk.
THE STRATEGY
In order to achieve the game’s goal of being one of the top RPGs of the year we couldn’t just rely on this group to build the groundswell of excitement needed to make the game a hit, we needed to drive a substantial group of influential gamers into Starfield early before we could reach out to the wider community that wanted to be part of the gaming zeitgeist.
To get these core audiences talking, we needed to build passion for this new IP. Educating our audiences not just on what Starfield was and how it would play, but more importantly how they would feel when playing, was key to achieving success.
With limited ability to share gameplay due to the game’s Mature rating and one of the most competitive launch windows for an RPG in recent years, simply reaching out to gamers and saying that they should play would not be enough to achieve success – they would need to be convinced using more authentic means.
THE APPROACH
Building a fanbase for Starfield started with understanding the people we wanted to play the game – developing a deep understanding of our main audiences and figuring out why they play games was crucial so we could assemble a strategy to get them into this new world.
Using their gaming motivations, the knowledge of what media resonated most effectively with them, and a deep understanding of games marketing, we created a full funnel media campaign, complete with a interest based custom executions designed to get core gaming audiences and hit buyers alike to take notice.
Starfield x YouTube
Liquid sourced leading YouTube talent based on their match to distinct target audience personas. Collectively, they delivered a campaign to the gaming masses that felt native to each community.
Twitch x VASCO
The biggest name in video game streaming developed a first of its kind (virtual) co-pilot to accompany gamers as they embarked into Starfield.
Built using a 3D model of VASCO – a robot companion from the game – this execution allowed anyone to easily include an interactive character into their game streams to delight their audience.
Programmed with several different animations, this virtual VASCO was given away to anyone who wanted it via Bethesda’s social channels and a custom microsite, and gave gaming audiences a first hand experience interacting with characters from the game.
Interactive Ad Executions
In addition to larger custom programs, wherever possible media and creative worked together to put audiences into the world of Starfield as they went about their day.
Whether it was themed takeovers on high profile gaming sites (IGN, Gamespot) that made the homepages look like they were pulled from the world of Starfield, custom podcast reads from well known gaming creators like Markiplier/Distractible that sounded like they were being hacked by enemy ships…
Or even simple trivia ads during streaming commercials that asked viewers to think about space/sci-fi as they answered questions, the campaign was designed to make those exposed consider Starfield on a deeper level and get immersed into the world Bethesda built.
THE RESULTS
After several weeks of building excitement among core audiences and then sharing the strong accolades with broader users, Bethesda announced that Starfield was their biggest launch of all time and had 10MM+ within two weeks of its launch.
Services: Audience Analysis and Competitive Research, Global media strategy, planning and execution, custom program development
Geos: US, CA, MX, BR