In Modern Warfare III, the stakes had never been higher for our heroes. In order to create an out of home activation like nothing before, the brief was simple: ‘Bigger, Badder, Bolder’. This was a huge moment for the franchise and it needed an activation fitting of a blockbuster launch - one that would capture not only the interest of our core audience but also that of wider audiences too.

We needed to create something disruptive that would have an immediate impact. With the city acting as a key location within the game itself, we selected London’s County Hall as our canvas, creating a big, impactful statement that delivered on the series’ action packed premise. This activation was all about instant gratification, incorporating the game’s atmosphere of intense rivalry, its tone and deep red colour palette to mirror the escalation experienced in-game to create an immediate, urgent sense of excitement.

Diva Agency, in partnership with Activision, created a bespoke and innovative 3D VFX experience, which was projected onto the London County Hall. Booked by Rapport and working within Pixel Artwork’s 3D replica of the iconic London landmark, Diva’s creative was designed to explore the rivalry between the game’s two leading characters, Captain Price and Makarov. The experience amplified the game’s key themes: Rising Evil and Adapt or Die.

London County Hall and the surrounding areas, including the London Eye and Jubilee Gardens, play an integral role in Modern Warfare III’s in-game narrative, with the game’s dramatic finale set in this exact location. Consumer Insight shows that 70% of Modern Warfare players are committed to the franchise for the Single Player campaign over any other game mode. This insight, combined with London County Hall’s architectural duality, created the perfect setting to bring one of the game’s levels to life on an epic canvas pitting franchise favourites, Captain Price and Makarov, head-to-head for all the world to see.

As Modern Warfare III is a PEGI 18 title, there were limits and restrictions as to what could be shown. Cutscenes and gameplay sequences were carefully selected to avoid moments that could be considered too violent. This was particularly challenging for a title that revolves around conflict as part of its narrative.

Music and audio were carefully considered to maximise the impact of the activation. The bespoke sound design created a sense of tension and urgency that matched the tone of the visuals and conveyed the sense of high stakes action and drama that players have come to expect from the franchise.

Another major challenge was time: the modelling and special effects were all built and completed within two weeks and had to be timed perfectly with the audio and lighting effects.

The projection was physically viewed by over 300,000 people, delivering an unforgettable experience leaving players feeling hyped and informed about the launch of Modern Warfare III.

Content from the execution was shared on Call of Duty global owned social channels, achieving a combined organic reach of over 1,000,000 across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. Fans around the world were able to witness the experience, delivering an engagement rate of 5% (vs global benchmark of circa 1%) and encouraging thousands of positive comments, such as “this is the kind of thing I wish I could see with my own eyes” and “that’s too epic!”

It provided the brand with the centrepiece for a cross channel launch campaign, enabling the UK marketing plan to over succeed against a core KPI and delivering a blockbuster moment that contributed to a 28% peak in unaided franchise awareness during the launch window.