The reviews in the BeNeLux of PlayStation’s new game Until Dawn are full of praise. Because there’s no denying that this is a brilliant game. And also, in part, because tournamentcenter was in charge of the press launch. Together with AB Communication, we succeeded in giving journalists the fright of their life. And they loved every second of it!
The idea for the press launch was simple: let’s blend fiction with reality. To this end, we invited 50 Belgian and Dutch journalists to a luxury villa in the Netherlands. Until Dawn starts with eight holidaymakers, who are staying in a luxurious lodge in the woods. An idyllic premise, until these hapless travelers fall in the hands of a psychopath with a chain saw.
A mysterious host received the journalists, after which they could take control of the event after lunch and the plenary session. Like in the game, the butterfly effect means that your choices change the storyline.
The journalists had to face off against masked killers, like in the game. Their options were to flee, hide, or attack their potential killers. The fleers had to run through a bloody kitchen into the garden, where the mist over the swimming pool concealed the body that was floating in it.
Anyone who sought shelter was locked up in a dark room. The participants had to use a torch to find the key to get out of the room in a wardrobe with human remains. The fighters, meanwhile, found themselves in a torture cellar, where the carcass of a bull in a smoky chiller created a slaughterhouse effect.
The blood and the skeletons were fake, but the horror atmosphere was very real. At the end of each route, the participants were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in Until Dawn on a PlayStation 4. We live-streamed the game release, so people around the world could follow it. That’s how tournamentcenter assisted AB Communication with a mix of creativity and organization. In any event, PlayStation couldn’t have been happier with the enthusiastic response of the reviewers.
journalists
bloody scenarios
to get out
horror props to overcome
while doing so