The Battle Cats’ 10th Anniversary celebration for its English edition has hit a snag. Capsule machines built for the festivities have been sabotaged, and the highly anticipated Best of the Best festival is postponed until further notice. A double agent is on the loose, and it’s up to players to uncover who the Spy Cat is and bring them to justice.
Here is the story…um, campaign:
Over 700 Cats united in Aoshima, Japan (aka Cat Island – obviously) to plan The Battle Cats English edition 10th Anniversary celebration. But just as everything is coming together, something at the CATference starts to smell fishy…
The CATference
Time Traveller Cat bursts out of his machine, excitedly meowing, “Whoa! I just got back from October, and you’re not gonna believe what happens at the Best of the Best festival. There’s a sp—”
Before he can finish, a tranquiliser dart hits him, and he collapses, fast asleep.
The Sabotage
Pirate Cat delivers the breaking news from Aoshima, Japan, informing the Battle Cats community of the celebration sabotage. Meanwhile PONOS, The Battle Cats’ parent company, issues a statement, “We”re launching a thorough investigation to find the perpetrator. In the meantime, we’re working around the clock to fix the machines.”
The hunt is on. In a game of cat and mouse, the task is to figure out which cat is the traitor, along with any motivations. Claws will be pointed, and every cat is a suspect. Recordings will be reviewed to uncover motives, and players are invited to join the investigation by downloading The Battle Cats. Defend the Cat Base, find the double agent, and win big.
Seiichiro Sano, managing director of PONOS, commented, “Who doesn’t love a good spy thriller? From James Bond to Mr. and Mrs. Smith to The Bourne Identity, espionage stories capture our imagination. Typically, campaigns are built outside of the game, but once again PONOS and R/GA’s global team collaborated to integrate the voting system directly within the game, engaging core players.”
Ari Halper, global head of creative excellence at R/GA, added, “There is a great irony in the gaming world: while games are meant to entertain us, their promotions and celebrations typically fall back on the same retail tactics and sales clichés. But why not extend the entertainment into the promotions and celebrations themselves?”
Players can make their final suspect accusation between October 7 and 14. Stay tuned for the big plot twist.
The Mission Impawsible campaign comprises social media, paid media and influencer posts will run across English speaking regions during September and October.
Since the original version of the game for the Japanese market was released in 2012, and the English version of The Battle Cats for English speaking fans in 2014, The Battle Cats has grown to become an acclaimed tower defence strategy game that has amassed more than 92 million downloads and counting.
Credits
Creative Innovation Company: R/GA
ECD, Global Head of Creative Excellence: Ari Halper
Executive Creative Directors: Ignacio Jardon, Masaya Nakade
Group Creative Director: Marta Caseny
Design Director: Nicholas Hannon
Associate Creative Director: Sim Yikloong
Group Strategy Director: Roana Brito
Senior Producer: Anton Karyakin
Executive Content Producer: Kyle Belcher
Managing Director, Tokyo: Anthony Baker
Group Account Director: Naru Kudo
Senior Copywriter: Alex Morris
Senior Visual Designer: Grace Kirby
Media Production: The Jacky Winter Group
Creative Directors: Dom Bartolo & Jamie Balliu
Animator: Bobby Dazzler
Designers & Animators: Andrew Gibbs, Jeric Illigan & Louis Majiwa
Producer: Nicola Pointer
Key Frame Design
Support: Lilian Darmono
Illustrator: Jo Ley
Producers: Katie Ayling & Liz McGillivray
Media & Creator Engagement: Livewire
