Cannes Lions

The Battle of Baron

UNIT9, London / RIOT GAMES / 2021

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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Background

Riot Games wanted to launch Wild Rift, the mobile version of popular PC game League of Legends.

But the players were divided. Existing fans doubted the complex game could be adapted to mobile, and potential new players found the game too hard to understand. We needed to win them over and create a positive buzz with a unifying and accessible launch experience that connected players to the new game and turned mobile skeptics into Wild Rifts champions.

Idea

When launching a game, what the comments section says matters more than anything. So when the launch of Wild Rift was announced and gamers in the YouTube comments section expressed doubts over the new mobile version, we decided to ‘hack’ that same comments section to fuel the game’s launch.

We transformed YouTube Live into a gaming platform with a collaborative multiplayer experience that uniquely weaponised the chat function. In the Battle of Baron, players had to fight against a live-rendered League of Legends monster, Baron Nashor, by posting comments to trigger attacks, only unlocking the release of Wild Rift once their enemy was defeated.

In 11 years of League, no one has had the chance to face Baron Nashor outside the game. This was a one-of-a-kind experience for gamers to be part of an unforgettable moment in gaming history, made possible by the innovative use of technology.

Strategy

Interviews with gamers revealed a division in the community over a League of Legends mobile game. PC fans thought that it would be low-quality and inauthentic. Mobile gamers thought the existing community was hostile and inaccessible. In order to unite gamers and win them over, we gave them all the opportunity to come together as a team to fight a common enemy - Baron Nashor. Defeating him successfully would launch Wild Rift. Instead of a traditional launch film telling gamers what to think of Wild Rift, we made a collaborative gaming experience they could be a part of. An authentic experience for protective fans, and a welcoming one for new players. Thus, gamers took ownership of the launch. They weren't just watching a trailer. They were playing it.

Execution

We crafted a live-rendered version of League of Legends fan-favourite, Baron Nashor, in Unity game engine, enabling him to react dynamically to the YouTube Live Chat stream. By innovatively weaponizing the chat function in a game engine, we allowed a wider community of gamers to come together on the same platform in real-time.

We created an intense back-and-forth deathmatch with reactive health bars displaying the gamers power over Baron. By crowdsourcing every move in the battle using a voting system in the YouTube Live Chat, we allowed users to easily choose what to do next by typing 1, 2, 3, or 4 into the chatbox, and whichever move received the most votes was actioned in real-time.

We knew that League of Legends fans loved teaming up for epic fights against impossible odds. So we stayed true to the look and feel of Wild Rift, and even incorporated its gameplay mechanics to make gamers work together as a team and tactically choose attacks to battle their common enemy successfully. Baron responded dynamically to each move, and it was exciting for gamers to see that direct response to their vote and feel the instant gratification of contributing to the cause, resulting in an outstanding user experience.

We used Youtube Live to make the experience accessible to mobile and desktop users - no download or app was required for participation. Gameplay footage is available to view on YouTube indefinitely.

In the 2 weeks leading up to the battle, teasers were released to build excitement and teach gamers how to play. The gaming experience streamed live on 10th December 2020, just hours before the launch of Wild Rift, so it directly drove people to download the game.

We successfully united players across six markets to experience a shared moment in League of Legends history.

Outcome

The Battle of Baron drove a huge response amongst the gaming community from six different markets, with a staggering 1.65 million comments sent in-game in just ten minutes and over 459,000 having viewed the gameplay. We also successfully converted the skeptics. Compared to other PC-to-mobile game launches, we beat sentiment benchmarks by 7x. We received an overwhelmingly positive buzz around the game’s launch and turned doubts into support for the new game. The success of the activation helped to propel Wild Rift to the top of app stores in launch markets.

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