This 30 second edit ad airs pre-game during the Super Bowl LI 2017.
Pioneering Menlo Park video gaming company Top Games US, Inc. is using the Big Game to reintroduce its popular mobile game, Evony: The King’s Return, via a 30-second spot from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners.
In the multimillion-dollar production, “The Battle of Evony,” we witness wide-ranging battlefields that unite historic leaders across time and geography. We see George Washington, played by Aaron Eckhart (Sully, The Dark Knight), King Arthur played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead, Texas Rising, Watchmen) and Empress Wu Zetian, played by Fan Bingbing (I Am Not Madam Bovary, X-Men: Days of Future Past), become unlikely allies.
“The Super Bowl is the ultimate test of today’s warriors, so it is a fitting place for us to showcase our free-to-play mobile game, Evony: The Kings Return” said Top Games CEO Lu Lu. “Having such spectacular talent literally leading the charge will help bring the game to life and drive interest.”
The ad campaign is introduced via a two-minute cinematic film depicting our heroes’ path and their unlikely encounter in the battlefield. The culminating battle is featured in a 30-second ad that will be seen during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5th. There are 11 additional ads that will air later in the year, where the story line expands, and alliances are forged and broken.
BSSP was selected to develop the advertising for Evony following a review. The agency has a track record of creating memorable and highly rated Super Bowl ads for such brands as MINI, T-Mobile and others.
“Evony is a strategy game with depth – that goes beyond pure action. We wanted to echo that with an episodic series of spots that create a rich world of characters and backstory,” said Mark Krajan, creative director at BSSP.
The campaign was directed by Henry Hobson of Furlined in stunning locations from New Zealand to Romania. “Being given the opportunity to pit historical figures against each other in a vast world is a hugely exhilarating and creatively rewarding experience,” says Hobson. “The world allowed me to shine a cinematic lens on both character and location, from battlefields to birthplaces, mountain tops to medieval villages. It brought all the areas I love to explore – character, performance, cinematic visuals, storytelling, tension, mood and intrigue – together.”
Agency: BSSP
Chief Creative Officer: John Butler
Executive Creative Director: Keith Cartwright
Executive Creative Director: Tom Coates
Creative Director: Mark Krajan
Creative Director: Chris Toffoli
Associate Creative Director: Sinan Dagli
Associate Creative Director: Luke Zehner
Senior Art Director: Lydia Dunay
Senior Copy Writer: Nick Zacher
Director Integrated Production: Vince Genovese
Senior Producer: Lori Pisani
Group Account Director: Cristiano Alburitel
Account Supervisor: Danielle Patipa
Account Executive: Patrick Gregory
Business Affairs: Nihad Peavler
Production Credits:
Production Company: Furlined
Director: Henry Hobson
President: Diane McArter
EP/Director of Development: Ben Davies
Producer: Aris McGarry
DoP: Alwin Kuchler
Celebrity Talent Acquisition:
Kristen Hellwig Platinum Rye Entertainment
Editorial
Company: WORK Editorial
Editor: Stewart Reeves
Assistant Editor: Josh Sasson
Producer: Lynne Mannino
Executive Producer: Marlo Baird
Post Production Credits
FX Company: Method
VFX Supervisor: Ben Walsh
VFX Producer: Mike Zavala
Senior Executive Producer: Stephanie Gilgar
CG Supervisor: Lee Carlton
Comp Suprevisor: Chris Bankoff
Compositing Lead: Toma Bowen
VFX Coordinator: Kyle Leonard
Colorist
Colorist: Tom Poole @ Company 3
Music & Sound Design
Music by Q Department
Sound Design by Q Department
Mix
Eben Carr @ One Union