Diablo is one of the most famous gaming franchises of all time. It was the first dark gothic game and all but invented the Action Role Playing Game genre. But, after ten years since the last installment, awareness had waned, especially among younger, diverse console gamers who wouldn’t normally think the game’s darker tone would appeal to them.

Thus, we needed something that leaned into Diablo IV’s dark roots that would both breakthrough in media channels and, more importantly, entice those gamers to reconsider our dark world and jump in during their free, open beta in March.

We converted a Gothic church in Cambrai, France into The Cathedral of Diablo by covering its vaulted ceiling with dark, demonic imagery from Diablo IV. Inspired by the old masters, Caravaggio, Van Eyck and Michaelangelo, we partnered with well-known classical painter Adam Miller to create a mural that tells the story of our five classes’ journey through hell to face the game’s biggest villain, Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred.

Make Diablo IV the entertainment blockbuster event of the year by broadening the appeal of a franchise with a cult following and hard mature themes. Show that fighting your way through hell could be a cathartic release full of the same intense action and energy that console gamers are accustomed to in their traditional games.

The Cathedral of Diablo is a real church in Cambrai, France that has been defiled with the dark, demonic imagery of Diablo IV. Hand painted on 1200 feet of canvas by master painter Adam Miller and his team, the art spans the entire 220-foot length of the vaulted, Gothic ceiling, the 50-ft back wall and ornate dome. Each painting was created using 3D models from the game and hand painted to showcase the different classes, powers and villains from the game and prepare them for what awaited them in the game.

It is open to the public for viewing until the launch of the game and was also captured in a film to share it with the rest of the world, to encourage them to immerse themselves in the game in real life.

The week that the Cathedral of Diablo film launched there were 267 unique articles published world wide that resulted in 37M unique daily readers. The un-aided title awareness for the Diablo IV brand jumped from 4.3% to 9.3%, an 119% increase in awareness. This resulted in 5.5M gamers playing the Beta, the biggest Beta the Diablo as a franchise has ever had.