Machine Warning

In the incredibly competitive space of first-person shooter games, Xbox and ActivisionBlizzard were launching the new game “Overwatch 2: Invasion,” in which evil A.I. robots attack humanity.

Our mission was to get non- and lapsed players—in particular Gen-Z (18-25) across the U.K., Germany and France—to play the game.

There is a growing concern around the growth of A.I., and our target audience are engaged in the rise of this technology. Gen Z have an 82.6% awareness of A.I. and robotic technology—often voicing their concerns across social.

So we gave them a way to fight back. “Machine Warning” is an innovative gaming experience that invited gamers to play “Overwatch 2” in front of bespoke, personified A.I. software that was trained to interpret and understand the gameplay—recognizing when the evil robots got shot and blown up by humanity.

The experience was announced in partnership with some of Europe’s top gaming creators, who unveiled it to the world through their channels.

But it didn’t stop there. Gamers across the globe could also take part in the fight, by submitting their own gameplay to A.I. through social media.

Truth Well Told: “Machine Warning” unearthed our darkest fears about A.I. while giving gamers a way to truly fight back—and a thrilling reason to play “Overwatch 2.” Over 24,000,000 gamers played during the campaign period and engagement was 615% above target. The campaign also generated more than 30M social media impression—all while schooling A.I. that fighting humanity isn’t worth it.