With HOMEFRONT, PETROL faced the challenge of introducing a brand new first person shooter IP to a saturated market. The stark and emotional campaign that developed put a human face on the game’s real world concept and manifested intrigue for what could have been dismissed as another cookie-cutter shooter offering. Thanks to this positioning, HOMEFRONT went on to sell over a million units.
HOMEFRONT’s packaging picked up where the campaign left off with a portrait that was both striking and unsettling. This gave observers a compelling taste of the North Korean enemy and post-invasion world that awaited them.
Our wild postings continued the visual aesthetic of the campaign and juxtaposed it against large, impactful copy statements. Imagery depicted the blindfolded American and the armed American to illustrate the evolution from refugee to rebel. The goal was to paint a picture of oppression-fueled warfare and make it impossible for passers by to refrain from stopping and taking notice.
Our site served to drive pre-orders up to the time of release at which point it became a consolidated hub for the burgeoning HOMEFRONT community. Visitors were able to stay up to date on the latest news and releases while also keeping track of detailed multiplayer stats including who’s who on the online leaderboard.
In creating our trailer we had to raise awareness and generate excitement using mostly gameplay and stock footage. By developing a stylized transition aesthetic combined with fast engaging cuts we created an AV piece that grabbed viewers’ attention and helped contribute to a massive launch.
In order to capture the gritty realism desired, we set out to generate our own assets with an extensive in-house photo shoot. Models representing struggling American refugees and oppressive North Korean forces were photographed in myriad poses before shots were selected and given an extra edge by the illustration team.
