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Ubisoft has launched a unique online experience to promote its upcoming Xbox One and PS4 title Assassin’s Creed Unity.
Entitled Project Widow – referring to a nickname for the guillotine – the city night walk experience provides gamers with an online interactive guided tour around late 18th-century Paris – the location where the open-world game takes place.
Leading players around the city will be Lord of the Rings and Rise of the Planet of the Apes actor Andy Serkis, who provides the narration.
Users can view the sites of key moments in the French Revolution in a 360-degree street level view, immersing them in the historical setting of Unity protagonist Arno’s tale.
Participants can also discover hotspots, locate hidden Unity art and video content, and win prizes and exclusives.
The experience has been created by Biff New Media and Villain and Co in partnership with Ubisoft UK, and will be supported with targeted paid promotion on Facebook and Twitter, and through Ubisoft-owned channels, the EGX event and a Yogscast promotion, as well as earned media opportunities.
Mark Bassett, digital marketing manager at Ubisoft UK, commented: The night walk is a great digital concept and delivers an exciting online experience in anticipation of the blockbuster video game, Assassin’s Creed Unity.
The teams at Biff New Media and Villain and Co have truly embraced bringing the game’s setting to life for consumers in an exciting, shareable and innovative way.”
Jodie Brock, creative director at Villain and Co, added: Ubisoft gave us scope to get really creative in our thinking, leading to the idea of a uniquely dark and immersive guided tour.
We wanted to inspire gamers by breathing vivid bloody life into 18th century Revolutionary Paris, and allow them to explore its secrets, generating even more excitement about the game.”
Biff New Media’s creative director, Leigh Kirwan, said the project did have its challenges: Project Widow really gave us the opportunity to push the boundaries and to explore creative and interesting ways to align it with the world of Paris during the French Revolution. It has been a huge technical undertaking but we feel we’ve managed to create a completely immersive and engaging experience for Assassin’s fans.”
