Injustice: Gods Among Us
Client
NetherRealm Studios
As the in-house Lead Creative Director at NetherRealm, I led the creative for the Injustice franchise, including the launch of Injustice 2 and the ongoing ecosystem of Injustice 2 Mobile. This campaign was a unique strategic puzzle: how to speak to two, equally passionate audiences at the same time.
The Challenge: Our audience was split. On one side, we had the massive, global DC Comics fanbase that lives for the story, the characters, and the lore. On the other, we had the hardcore fighting game community that obsesses over E-Sports, mechanics, and competition. My challenge was to create a campaign that felt authentic and exciting to both, without alienating either.
The Insight: Instead of trying to find a single message that appealed to the middle, my strategy was to give each community what they craved. DC fans want to be part of the story. Fighting game fans want their skills and opinions to matter. So, we built a campaign around participation and influence.
Creative Execution: I directed the in-house and agency teams (including AKQA) to build a 360-degree experience that served both communities.
Empowering the Fans: We launched interactive social media polls that let the community directly influence in-game challenges. Fans weren't just watching the story; they were actively shaping the live game, which drove massive engagement.
Celebrating the Fandom: We proved we were fans, too. We created fun, "inside-joke" content like an April Fools' character reveal that showed we were part of their culture.
Building the Sport: We treated our E-Sports coverage like a prime-time broadcast, building compelling narratives around the pro players themselves. This turned our top players into heroes and rivals that DC and fighting game fans could both root for.
The Results:
✱ By treating both audiences with authentic respect, we united them into one of the most powerful communities in gaming.
✱ The campaigns created the most engaging social media presence in NetherRealm Studios' history at the time.
✱ We built a massive, active community, surpassing 1 million followers on Facebook.
