The Diablo series of video games has a strong legacy of ceaselessly dark and relentlessly compelling lore. Much of that celebrated story-telling is defined by the iconic villains; the irascible denizens of the Burning Hells.
From the Prime Evils like Diablo to the lowliest tier of demonic axe fodder, the brand’s identity is inextricably linked to the enemies players slay by the thousands.
Lore is a core pillar of Diablo’s social strategy, which is why the Unveiling Darkness activation was conceived. How could we satiate our audiences' endless quest for more narrative content while simultaneously leveraging Diablo IV post-launch enthusiasm in a compelling way?
By turning focus to the monsters. By activating audience curiosity with compelling lore snippets and in-game assets designed to thrill those who love lore and entice those who haven’t yet discovered it.
The Unveiling Darkness activation was positioned a few weeks after the launch of Diablo IV. The pieces were designed to encourage our audience to learn more about the rich lore of the Diablo universe, and to fan the flames of anticipation for those who had yet to purchase the game.
Using a combination of creative in-universe copywriting and carefully considered visual design, the Diablo social team created a series of posts scheduled to go out daily over a week-long window. We had no access to paid support or external spend, so making due with the limited resources at our disposal provided additional creative challenge.
We developed a series of captivating narratives highlighting the origins, behaviors, and dangers posed by different in-game threats. Using in-game screenshots, we crafted aesthetically appealing and informative assets that showcased the monsters in intricate detail.
To encourage consistent audience engagement, we Implemented a week-long daily posting schedule. Each day a new post delved into the lore of a specific monster, creating an immersive cross-channel storytelling experience for our audience.
To keep the conversation going, we encouraged audience participation by prompting discussions and asking fans to share theories related to the highlighted monsters throughout the activation.
The results confirmed what we already knew: Diablo fans love lore.
The "Unveiling Darkness" activation successfully achieved its objective of seamlessly integrating narrative and education into a broader audience engagement strategy.
The “Unveiling Darkness” activation stands as a testament to the power of leveraging unique brand characteristics, in our case, a compelling narrative, to deepen player involvement and interest post-launch.
