BBH New York launched a new spot promoting Sony’s PlayStation 4 console for the holiday season.
“The King” shows a young monarch disillusioned with the royal life escaping his duties on the throne in search of adventure. Helmed by Epoch Films director Martin de Thurah, the spot is visually impressive, developing the young king’s world before providing a bridge to the ones you can explore with the PS4, all set to a slightly eerie cover of The Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” The message is clear: while viewers’ responsibilities may not be of the same variety as the spot’s protagonist, PS4 can provide some much needed escapism.
“This is an ode to the adventurers,” PlayStation senior vice president, marketing Eric Lempel told AdFreak. “It will particularly inspire fans to keep exploring exciting worlds like those featured in the ad—from swinging through the streets of Manhattan as Spider-Man or exploring the lush, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon Zero Dawn. Some viewers will also pick up on many of their favorite games from the past, so the spot will be sentimental for some.”
The spot, which was shot over five days in the Czech Republic, manages to make reference to over seventy games, including the popular Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted series.
“One of the biggest production challenges was matching the scale of the props and costumes to their appearance in the video games they were pulled from,” Lempel added. “Gamers are a passionate audience, so it was important to us to accurately represent the game worlds they know and love.”