14 Celebs Blow Their Gathering Horns for World of Warcraft

Fourteen diverse celebrities appear in a short film heralding World of Warcraft’s Shadowlands extension. And boy, do they blow!

No, really, each grabs a “horn of gathering”—which doesn’t appear in the actual game—and sounds the majestic call to play, as you’ll see and hear in this amusing ad developed by 72andSunny with director Rob McElhenney (creator of Apple+’s gaming-themed comedy series Mythic Quest):

Ricola! Riii-co-laaaa! (You get that reference, right?)

It’s an unexpectedly lighthearted approach that captures the WoW spirit without showing one pixel of gameplay. Plus, it trumpets the power of gaming in Covid times as a potent source of escape and camaraderie.

Ronda Rousey steals the show, battling her opponent in the squared circle for a turn at the horn. (Beat her over the head with it, Ronda!)

The spot also features, in order of appearance, from swimming pools, hotel rooms, offices and other locations:

• Finn Wolfhard, actor 
• Sydney Sweeney, actor 
• Ronda Rousey, professional wrestler
• Jimmy O. Yang, actor/comedian
• Hacksmith, Youtube creator
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse, actor
• Danny Pudi, actor/comedian
• Kristian Nairn, actor
• Issac Hempstead Wright, actor 
• Marcus Scribner, actor
• Tim the Tatman, Twitch streamer 
• Alexander Dreymon, actor
• Pierre Gasly, Formula One driver 
• Regina Wan, actor

You’ll notice that each name on the list is hyperlinked. That’s because the celebrities also appear in solo social films on their personal feeds, blowing those epic, branded horns.

“Our intent with this campaign is to celebrate the connections that World of Warcraft helps provide to gamers globally,” says Matt Small, vp of consumer marketing at WoW parent Blizzard Entertainment. The horn of gathering signals “that it’s time to re-form those connections—and invite gamers who haven’t played into our franchise,” he says.

Along with the avalanche of videos, Blizzard also launched Instagram lenses, Twitch filters and Discord emojis to encourage fan horniness… er, engagement. 

“It’s a very ambitious campaign,” notes Todd Harvey, the company’s svp of consumer marketing, who adds that the celebrities were chosen for their global appeal, with the social extensions designed to facilitate sharing and build excitement for Shadowlands, which dropped Nov. 23, coinciding with the release 16 years ago of the original iconic game.

CREDITS

Brand: Blizzard Entertainment
Creative Agency: 72andSunny Los Angeles
Director: Rob McElhenney
Production: Raucous Content
Editorial: Cabin
Sound: Lime
Finish: Digital Domain