THE CHALLENGE

To celebrate the launch of Minecraft’s Wild Update, Xbox's mission was to engage young audiences and spark their curiosity in nature and history through Minecraft. Our challenge was to craft a compelling campaign, partnering with a trusted heritage organization, to showcase the educational potential of the game.

By carefully strategizing and executing the campaign, we aimed to successfully launch the Wild Update, which features ancient ruins throughout its landscapes, by leveraging the ancient ruins of the UK.

THE STRATEGY

As the leading heritage trust in the UK, National Trust was a perfect partner to highlight the connection between nature, history and gaming by creating a unique Minecraft build of Corfe Castle in Dorset.

We enlisted the renowned Minecraft expert, Grian, whose building skills and popularity resonated with fans. Additionally, we collaborated with historian Alice Loxton, who has over a million followers on TikTok, which added credibility and allowed us to tap into her large following of history enthusiasts.

While our focus was on showcasing the collaboration's build, we ensured the content appealed to non-gamers as well. The hero film became the centerpiece, showcased on Minecraft global channels, social media platforms, and during the release phase.

THE EXECUTION

To bring the Corfe Castle to life in Minecraft, we collaborated with the Minecraft specialists, 'Blockbuilders,' utilizing GPS drone data to create an accurate model of the ruin. Minecraft experts Grian and Alice Loxton then reimagined the castle build within the game.

We created a hero film showcasing Grian’s and Alice Loxton’s impressive build and experience, featuring match cut drone shots between the real Corfe Castle and Grian's authentic reconstruction. This film was shared across global Minecraft and Xbox channels, and influencers shared content on their social media platforms, amplifying the campaign's reach.

National Trust played a crucial role, hosting a dedicated landing page that highlighted the campaign and their partnership with Xbox.  To engage the community further, a live gaming event was held at Corfe Castle during National Trust's Festival of Archaeology. The event included a pop-up demo tent where over 3,000 attendees could explore our Minecraft builds and learn about the campaign.

To generate media coverage, we executed a comprehensive press release and media outreach program, ensuring the campaign received widespread attention and recognition.

The Outcome

The excitement was palpable in the social media sphere, with a Minecraft's channel video amassing over 1.114 million views, 51K+ likes, and 4K+ comments. Popular Minecraft content creator Grian also published a video on his YouTube channel related to the campaign, which garnered an impressive 1.3+ million views, 104K likes, and 4,842 comments. The campaign was further enriched by the significant organic social engagement, boasting over 205K+ interactions. The Corfe Castle Serve experienced an influx of creativity and collaboration, with over 1,200 unique players participating. Within the first 10 days of the campaign, a 97% player retention rate was observed. This retention remained strong throughout the campaign, with a 73% retention rate carrying through to its conclusion in January 2023. Participants were deeply invested in their creations, with the average playtime during the campaign clocking in at 8 hours and 48 minutes. The total game time logged by players throughout the campaign was equivalent to an astonishing 1 month, 1 day, 16 hours, and 26 minutes.