How we helped Xbox connect with a whole new audience

Sea of Thieves is an award-winning Xbox game, but after five years live, it had lost some of its magic and appeal. Our challenge was to make the title feel fresh and exciting, to rejuvenate existing players, and to lure new ones into playing.

Social data analysis across the globe showed there were a lot of misperceptions relating to the game, and this was a barrier for old and new players. We listened to what players were saying and decided to tackle the comments head-on.

Think you know Sea of Thieves? Think again.

Our campaign was broken into three distinct chunks – Hook, Line and Sinker.

Hook – grabbing attention
Line – driving engagement
Sinker – go play the game!

The Hook idea was our hero content delivered with talent. But to maximise local relevance, we devised a plan for the idea to play out through five different languages with five different presenters, shot in three days in London.