Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Pre-order and Release Campaign
.svg)
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Pre-order and Release Campaign
In short
Swedish developer and publisher, Fatshark, chose Portal as their partners for the launch and release of their brutal first-person shooter - Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. This monstrous campaign was not for the faint-hearted - by the time we had finished, we had created over 500 different units that would give the Beast of Nurgle nightmares.
Deliverables
Video ad suites
Rich media HTML5 display banners
Static social suite
Steam advertising
Network takeovers
Alternative key art
A Trusted Partner
Darktide is the spiritual successor to Fatshark’s two previous games - Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide and Warhammer: Vermintide 2.
Both Vermintide games were set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe and enjoyed critical acclaim among both fans and media. Darktide saw the Fatshark team turn their attention to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Replicating that success from one setting to the next was key for the Fatshark team and their passionate community was eager to hear more. They needed a partner they could trust to get their message across and we were delighted that they chose us.
Video Ad Suite
Gore features heavily in Darktide - heads roll, limbs fly and blood splatters - our videos had to reflect that. We used our cast-iron stomachs combined with our extensive video experience to create more than 250 individual videos showcasing Darktide’s brutal nature.
Of course, it’s not suitable to use gore in all areas where ads appear so we also created versions minus the blood and baddies losing their bonces - they still packed the same punch though.
Darktide has stunning, award-winning audio and our own audio work needed to pay tribute to that. All sounds - music, SFX, voice over - were on-point and mixed perfectly in our videos.
Rich media HTML5 display banners
Ours were no ordinary banners - we used embedded screenshot galleries to showcase the game’s gritty visuals. Users were drawn to the banners by being able to scroll through the images, increasing engagement.
In total we produced over 100 individual banner units and localised them into different languages for use across many different territories. Waouh!
.svg)
.svg)
Network takeovers
Core gaming websites are where the most knowledgeable and savvy gamers get their news and views from. Get your marketing materials wrong here and their audiences will let you know. Our team are experts in this area, creating takeovers for eight different networks - all of which were diligently documented for ease of use by all external parties.
Alternative key art
Digital Foundry described Darktide’s visuals as “astonishing” and a “stunning technical accomplishment”. It was important that our key art captured the game’s gorgeous graphical style while keeping the brand fresh in the minds of potential players.
Steam is the dominant online store for PC games and so any marketing materials that appear here must be of the highest standard. Our team created eye-catching images that encapsulated the essence of the game and respected Steam’s exacting standards.
Digital Foundry described Darktide’s visuals as “astonishing” and a “stunning technical accomplishment”. It was important that our key art captured the game’s gorgeous graphical style while keeping the brand fresh in the minds of potential players.
“Portal showed a large degree of understanding, flexibility and professionalism - despite working with a slightly condensed timeline”.
Stephan Hentze Nielsen
Digital Marketing Manager, Fatshark
.svg)
Round-up
We thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Fatshark on the release of Darktide. Our congratulations go out to them on a successful launch. If you’re looking for a marketing and advertising partner for your new game, drop us a line and find out what we can do for you.
Looking for a partner to create advertising and marketing materials for your next game?
.svg)
© Portal Studio 2023