In the most unexpected launch ever, Blizzard, World of Warcraft’s developer and publisher, has produced a nostalgic décor magazine. The magazine launches World of Warcraft’s: Midnight, with its vast fantasy world of Azeroth, where the game’s plot takes place.
WoW Décor, a limited collectors magazine in print and digital, is inspired by traditional architecture and decoration publications. However, instead of bringing house and construction trends from the real world, the magazine shows the most well-elaborated constructions and unusual decorations created by Brazilian gamers in the World of Warcraft universe. The initiative, created by agency, Druid, is centered on “housing,” a widely popular type of mechanic that was released precisely in the Midnight expansion, allowing players, from now on, to be able to build and decorate their own homes in the game.
The magazine contains 48 pages, with a layout that bets on the strength of aesthetics and design, and sections that include “editors’ letter” and “catalog,”, just as traditional architecture and decoration magazines do. It aims to inspire gamers to create and decorate their own houses in the fictional world of Azeroth, with offerings that include a wide color palette and an infinity of utensils.
“When World of Warcraft began to allow players to build their own houses, we realised that it wasn’t just a new feature, it was a new behavior. WoW Decor was born to empower this fandom, connecting the game’s universe with the real repertoire of architecture and design, creating an ultra-limited physical edition that celebrates and eternalizes the community’s creativity,” explained Rafael Hessel, executive creative director at Druid.
The print magazine will be distributed to influencers and gamers and is also available for free download on the Heyzine platform.
In the initial communication phase for Midnight, Druid also created a nostalgia-driven campaign featuring host, Ciro Bottini, to lead Azeroth TV. The films transformed the game’s universe into a home shopping channel inspired by Brazilian TV telesales programs
The new project follows the strategy begun in The War Within, the previous World of Warcraft expansion, which already included references to Brazilian popular culture and reinforced the commitment to creating connection and providing unique experiences to the Brazilian market. The launch of WoW Decor magazine is part of a movement to transform the launch of expansions into great moments of engagement for the Brazilian community of game fans.
To present The War Within to Brazilians, a sense of national belonging to the game’s launch was created, playing with the audience’s nostalgia. The campaign, created by Druid, had music videos recorded inside the title, with in-game capture technology, and famous tracks such as Evidências, by Chitãozinho and Xororó, to call people to return to the fight and save their heroes.
“Our main challenge through the projects is to create and maintain this nostalgic tone and sense of belonging, while at the same time we work on engagement. ‘WoW Decor’ comes to complete and close this campaign cycle with a flourish, awakening people’s desire to be part of this unique moment, building their houses and actively interacting as a large community,” Hessel added.
Credits:
Client: Blizzard Entertainment
Agency: Druid Creative
Agency CEO: Claudio Lima
Head of Production: Juliana Pereira
Producers: Gustavo Viola, Gabriel Cordeiro
Account Director: Felipe Santana Felix
Account Manager: Guilherme Vaz
Executive Creative Director: Rafael Hessel
Copywriter: João GBC
Art Director: Diogo Ottoni
Finishing: Agnaldo Soares (Guina)
Proofreading: Sandra Leite
Project Manager: Leandro Silva
Content Director: Rafaela Arnoldi
Content Coordinator: Victor Volpe
Content Copywriter: Murillo Dionísio
Content Art Director: Thales Sbompatto
Capture Director: Renan Godoy
Capture Art Director: Marcelo Sperger
Capture Assistants: Ivan Godoy, Klaus Kaiser
Capture Technician: Flávia de Almeida Viana
