INTO THE DEAD 2
Sequel to the critically acclaimed Into the Dead, this mobile first person shooter x endless runner boasts graphics and gameplay well and truly ahead of its time. It’s no surprise that Into the Dead 2 has become one of PikPok’s most supported & beloved games, and has been the catalyst for a franchise expansion into the premium PC space, Netflix deals & even virtual reality. During my time at PikPok, Into the Dead 2’s internal support was in a state of flux, going from primary focus, to being put on the backburner and fighting its way back into the spotlight. As a result, the resources and time available varied from project to project, but we pushed to ensure a consistent quality across our output. From user acquisition ads, to full blown DLC trailers, to coming soon reveals and more, Into the Dead 2 demanded a broad range of ideas and approaches that kept us on our toes.
Legacy TRAILER
Legacy was the first “Side Story” (big piece of additional content) that Into the Dead 2 had seen in a long time. A lot of fans had given up on their hopes for more story content, and the team wasn’t sure we’d have the opportunity to make more either, so this was a special announcement for them and us alike! Legacy follows the story of Kathy in her quest to find a safe haven for her baby, because (spoiler alert) she has been bitten, and will soon turn. We didn’t want to give away the entire premise outright in the marketing material, so we leaned heavily into intrigue, showing moments from throughout the entire experience, letting players speculate and wonder where the story might take them.
My role in this project:
Concept, Direction, Pre-Production, Strategy
FINGER GUNS
Pew, pew, pew for YOU. The Finger Guns are an April Fools joke come to life; where most studios might make a joke post and move on, we decided to implement the finger guns as an actual unlockable weapon in game and then create this fantastically stupid trailer for the release. You can probably guess that we were inspired by over the top American advertising, even going as far as to rope in our Wisconsinite colleague Rick to perform the voiceover. This was my final piece of work for Into the Dead 2, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Any opportunity to make eye-rolling, groan-inducing puns is a win for me.
My role in this project:
Concept, Direction, Pre-Production, Strategy, Copywriting
Coming soon videos
The coming soon videos were our team’s solution to a very interesting problem. In the interest of operating at a high quality with low capacity, the Into the Dead 2 team started building out their content well ahead of time, implementing everything in one update and then slowly allowing access to each piece of content over time. The issue? Dataminers were getting into the updates and spoiling all of the content immediately. So what was our solution? Beat them to the punch. We created these videos to give players a little taster for everything being implemented in the following month, taking the wind out of the sails of the spoilsports once and for all!
My role in this project:
Concept, Direction, Pre-Production, Production, Strategy
Christmas celebration
This was part of a series of videos we did where we announced a daily login challenge that led to a new weapon or cosmetic. This one in particular has a special place in my heart because it was built upon a Christmas concept I’d come up with a year prior (see left video). For the initial idea, I’d pitched a zombified version of a classic Christmas tune, and collaborated with the audio team to make it happen. We then expanded upon this for a daily login announcement. While there are plenty of details that make this a twisted festive joy, my favourite inclusion by far (and the one I fought hardest to keep) is the red-nose reindeer head mounted in the cabin…
My role in this project:
Concept, Direction, Pre-Production, Strategy, Copywriting
International women’s day
For International Women’s Day we wanted to celebrate the kickass women who are a part of Into the Dead 2. A large chunk of the development and publishing teams are comprised of women, and PikPok prides itself on really emphasising their perspectives in a heavily dominated industry. While I had a significant part in driving this project forward, it was really important to us to ensure that the primary voice of the creative came from the women in our team, specifically Harriet Prebble, Renee Cotton & Ali Paul. In addition to highlighting some of the amazing work the team has done over the years, the video aims to put a spotlight on some of the badass female characters in Into the Dead 2.
My role in this project:
Concept, Direction, Pre-Production, Strategy
Key contributors:
Robin Wilson-Davey, Renee Cotton, Michael Corlett, Ali Paul, Harriet Prebble, Jayde Marter, Jason Erskine, Broghan Blackshaw, Dmitry Novikov & the Into the Dead 2 dev team.
