Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM (2024)

Square Enix

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM

ENGAGING FFXIV FANS WITH A FANTASTICAL GO-TO-MARKET CAMPAIGN

Concept
Narrative
Design
Development
Live Action
CG
Animation
Editorial

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Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM (1)

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM (2)

ENGAGING FFXIV FANS WITH A FANTASTICAL GO-TO-MARKET CAMPAIGN

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Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM (3)

THE ASK

BROADENING THE AUDIENCE

We were given the challenge to reinvigorate interest in FFXIV by galvanizing current and lapsed players to engage in a new adventure around discovery, summer vacation, and new beginnings. For the launch of the popular MMO online game Final Fantasy XIV’s new expansion, Dawntrail, we were tasked with increasing brand awareness by incorporating more Western themes to broaden the audience.

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THE CHALLENGE

IMMERSING FANS IN A NEW WORLD

We developed one dynamic, artful, breakthrough visual concept and one humorous and sticky editorial idea. The challenge? How do these ideas work together to create a successful, multiplatform, robust go-to-market campaign?

Ultimately, we landed on a faux travel concept inviting fans to visit the beautiful, magical, mostly safe world of fantasy in the newly playable continent of Tural in the Dawntrail expansion: island vibes, fascinating locals, and activities filled with adventure and mystery.

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THE APPROACH

CREATING THE WHOLE PACKAGE

For this robust go-to-market campaign, in addition to writers, designers, and creatives, we became cartographers, quiz makers, tourism directors, food stylists, cactus horticulturists, Zen gardeners, and game historians. Our humorous interpretation of a travel campaign rolled out in three phases.

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PHASE 1: TOOLTIP & TEASERS

ENGAGE

We engaged players’ excitement about Dawntrail by teasing out gameplay moments, revealing new features, and highlighting the lush beauty and cultures organic to Tural.

Drawing inspiration from the game, we used patterns, textures, colors, characters, and symbols to craft a toolkit featuring a collage look rooted in the various biomes of Tural.

The toolkit was the foundation for the gameplay trailer, social and out-of-home pieces, and various unique executions. This toolkit informed how we translated the visuals for the additional phases of this campaign.

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LOGO STAMPS, DIVIDERS & BUTTONS

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PHASE 2: BOARD OF TURALISM

ENTICE

We enticed players with humor and allowed them to see the game and expansion from a fresh and unexpected perspective while going deeper into the lore and intrigue of Dawntrail.

Celebrity spokespersonality Rhys Darby became the charismatically unflappable Interim Deputy Director for the faux Board of Turalism. While ecstatic about his new job, he is mostly unaware of the challenges that come with it. With his blend of enthusiasm and endearing zeal, he navigates Tural’s wonders, mysteries, and discoveries, offering insights as humorous as they are informative.

Set on a soundstage, these content pieces were shot against blue scenes with practical sets that mimic the locales of Dawntrail. Each piece was meticulously detailed to mirror the world of Tural, with gameplay backgrounds added in post-production. Shot to look realistically fantastical while clearly fake, this approach added to the wink and humor of the Board of Turalism deliverables.

These pieces were designed to share and reach a broader audience and drove traffic to an in-world Board Of Turalism website, TourTural.com.

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PHASE 3: TOUR TURAL WEBSITE ARG

ACTIVATE

We activated the players’ fandom on the faux travel site with Easter eggs, ARG, and travel content for anyone with the guts to visit Tural or at least the site.

This expansive in-world travel site featuring things to do, people to meet, recipes, packing lists, merch, chatbot, and video posts. And, of course, no gaming activation would be complete without an ARG. We started by illustrating a bespoke map of Tural created entirely within the Board of Turalism world. Then, we sent players on a quest to find missing map pieces, with the final corner being discovered on the day of the game launch. From here, a previously unsolvable password seemingly triggered a chain reaction where the site was infected by Solution Nine, a mysterious element that exists within the world of Dawntrail.

The site rewarded repeat visits and engagement by publishing new material leading up to and post-launch, keeping fans surprised and delighted with daily updates.

For a detailed breakdown of all that went into the ARG, check out our Dawntrail ARG case study.

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Advice From Locals

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Advice From Locals

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THE PAYOFF

BRINGING JOY TO THE COMMUNITY

This campaign was a love letter to Final Fantasy XIV fans, and they responded in equally amorous ways: commenting, sharing, diving in, and breaking down each element. They loved the ARG elements, the details within the in-world travel site, the choice of Rhys Darby, and how each video built on one another.

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Ultimately, the Tural Welcomes You Campaign drove fever pitch-level excitement for the game, reached current, lapsed, and even new fans and created viral conversations around the content and the Dawntrail expansion.

Moreover, it was a joy to build, collaborate, and create with our incredibly talented team and Square Enix clients.

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Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail GTM (2024)
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