Together with
Amazon and Twitch are debuting a new gaming experience in Fortnite, dubbed The Glitch, that allows brands to create customizable integrations that affect the gameplay — almost like product placement in movies that serves a story purpose.
Why It Hits: In-game marketing can feel inorganic in most cases, so creating a world where brands can literally be a part of the action may be one of the most exciting forms of advertising available to companies trying to recruit a younger audience.
Between the Lines: The Glitch, described as “an integrated galaxy of brand-customized playable worlds,” was formally announced this past weekend at TwitchCon.
- Built by developer Look North World (which is run by Halo co-creator Alex Seropian), The Glitch pits two teams against each other in an elimination challenge.
- Brands can program “glitch events” within the game. For example, Domino’s (one of the inaugural partnering brands alongside Peloton) has an in-game pizzeria where players can eat a slice of pizza to restore their health.
- As part of the rollout, Twitch has tapped several top livestreamers to stream themselves playing the game, walking potential players (and brands) through how they experience the world.
Closing Thoughts: Brands have the potential to get a lot of exposure by joining The Glitch. Andrea Garabedian, the global head of brand partnerships studio at Amazon Ads, told Variety that the experience would have a “strong gameplay loop,” because people would play it and stream it on Twitch, and then fans would watch those steams. A popular game integration may make advertising a viral place for young players to visit.
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