Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Player Count Spikes 90% After Christopher Nolan Movie

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey saw its player engagement spike by 90% following the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey, according to tracking data. Apparently, three hours of historical drama on a giant screen is the ultimate reminder that you have an unfinished digital replica of Greece sitting in your backlog.

The surge gave Ubisoft its best week of engagement for the 2018 JRPG in years. It is a striking case of cross-media synergy, made all the more notable by the fact that the movie is not a licensed adaptation of the game, but rather an independent project sharing the same classical source material.

The film's constant sold-out screenings recently prompted theaters to extend its IMAX 70mm run. As audiences walked out of theaters wishing they could navigate the Aegean Sea themselves, many apparently opted for the next best thing: boots-on-the-ground virtual tourism.

The details

• The game: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (released in 2018)
• The catalyst: Christopher Nolan's theatrical release, The Odyssey
• The result: A 90% spike in player engagement
• Cinema status: Extended IMAX 70mm run due to sold-out screenings

It is proof that sometimes the best marketing campaign is simply having a director put a matching title on a three-hour IMAX screen.