"Why is Yoo Ah-in Coming Out There?" The War of Stars in Game Ads [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

Actor Yoo Ah-in appearing in the advertisement video for the game "Gran Saga." Photo by YouTube Capture

"To be or not to be, that is the question. To die is but to sleep, nothing more."

Actor Yoo Ah-in appears, passionately playing the role of Hamlet. One might think a new movie has been released, but this is actually a scene from the advertisement for Enpixel's new game, "Gran Saga." As the gaming industry is increasingly recognized as a leading content industry, top-tier actors are appearing in game advertisements, which previously had a negative image. If mobile phone ads were once the benchmark for "trendsetting celebrities," the day when game ads take that role is not far off.

"We wanted to make a mark in the history of game advertisements"

New game company Enpixel quickly gained fame with the advertisement for their new release, "Gran Saga." The ad titled "King of Theater" features 13 celebrities simultaneously, a number rarely seen even in blockbuster movies. Starting with child actor Kim Kang-hoon, Yoo Ah-in, Shin Goo, Lee Kyung-young, Cho Yeo-jeong, Taeyeon, Yang Dong-geun, Park Hee-soon, Bae Sung-woo, Um Tae-goo, Lee Mal-nyeon, and Joo Ho-min all deliver serious dramatic performances. User reactions include comments rarely seen in game ads such as "Is this really an ad? My heart feels grand," "Actors I trust," and "The acting is insane."

The video’s 10 minutes fly by thanks to the actors' passionate performances. Namgoong Hoon, CEO of Kakao Games, publicly remarked, "This will instantly delete your 10 minutes. Busy people, don’t open this video carelessly." Lee Kyung-young, who usually appears in noir films playing weighty roles, says, "This is fun, really fun. Keep it going," making viewers mistake it for a movie.

Actor Lee Kyung-young appeared in the advertisement for Enpixel's new game 'Gran Saga'. Photo by YouTube Capture

Enpixel also introduced a differentiation strategy by incorporating meme elements into the advertisement. At the end, a Gran Saga character appears and says, "Sorry, I stirred up attention just to show you this," using internet meme language.

Enpixel’s strategy worked. As of the 12th, the "King of Theater" video surpassed 7.96 million views on YouTube. Pre-registrations for Gran Saga exceeded 3 million. Gran Saga is a multiplatform massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) depicting the adventures of a knight order saving a kingdom. It features stunning graphics and an immersive storyline.

An Enpixel representative explained, "We were confident in Gran Saga’s gameplay, so we thought the key was how much attention we could attract. We made bold attempts to create an advertisement that would make a mark in the history of game industry advertising."

Advertisement photo of Wemade's new release 'Mir4'. Photo by Wemade

Lee Byung-hun Covers Wemade’s Pangyo Headquarters

Wemade officially launched the MMORPG "Mir4" on the 25th of last month. "Mir4" is the sequel to "Legend of Mir 2." Wemade’s flagship intellectual property (IP), "Legend of Mir," sparked a craze in China. "Legend of Mir 2" had 500 million users worldwide. "Mir4" also attracted great interest, gathering 3 million pre-registrations.

Wemade is putting everything on the line with "Mir4." At Korea’s largest game show, G-Star 2020, last month, CEO Jang Hyun-guk confidently stated, "'Mir4’s' launch will firmly establish Wemade as a leading Korean game company." To that end, Wemade is aggressively marketing by hiring top stars Lee Byung-hun and Seo Yea-ji as models for "Mir4" advertisements. Recently, Wemade decorated the entire building of its Pangyo Techno Valley headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with photos of Lee Byung-hun.

Wemade decorated its headquarters building located in Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, with photos of actor Lee Byung-hun, the advertising model for "Mir4." Photo by Wemade

A Wemade representative explained, "We cast Lee Byung-hun and Seo Yea-ji to match the image of 'Mir4.' Both actors fit well with the martial arts genre and the serious tone of the game, and they have good public recognition." The marketing effect was significant. The "Mir4 Black Dragon" advertisement surpassed 1.22 million views on YouTube that day. Mir4 ranked 10th in Google Play’s game revenue chart.

Game companies are focusing on celebrity advertisements because it is an effective way to increase recognition and reach users’ ears. An industry insider said, "Celebrity models are a sure way to boost public awareness. While gameplay is obviously important, companies have no choice but to focus on creating buzz and attracting early users for successful launches."