• by Les Luchter , July 17, 2023

With Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” opening in theaters July 21, tie-ins are everywhere: from Progressive to Crocs to General Motors and many, many more.

For the independent Australian horror film, “Talk to Me,” opening a week later, look to the metaverse.

Specifically, look to Fortnite’s popular nine-month-old game, “Deadpines: Zombie Survival,” whose developer Gamefam has teamed with “Talk to Me’s” British distributor Altitude on what it says marks the first time a horror movie has been featured globally on the gaming platform.

The game integration was brokered by gaming marketing specialist Livewire Group in collaboration with Havas Entertainment, which has also handled in-game ad billboards and a broader ad campaign on behalf of the tie-in.

The “Talk to Me" Deadpines game takeover -- developed with creative input from co-directors Michael and Danny Philippou -- puts players ‘into the heart of the movie’s story, centering around a mysterious embalmed hand that allows the holder to commune with the dead,” according to a press release.

While the campaign expects to reach more than 1 million people worldwide through Aug. 13, Havas is only running traditional advertising in the U.K. and Ireland. Designed to drive awareness of both the game integration and the movie itself, the campaign includes broadcast video on demand, TV and social media spots designed to reach viewers when they’re looking for horror content.

“Working with streamers enables Altitude to naturally show the film and game integration and tap into steamers’ audiences in an authentic and engaging way driving awareness and consideration of the film,” explained Robyn Flowers, client partner, Havas Entertainment, in a statement.

A recent TGI Research survey found that 45% of 18-29 year-old horror fans and 36% of horror fans aged 30-40 year-olds have a strong interest in gaming, according to today’s announcement.

“We set out to create an immersive, world-first experience that allows people to encounter the movie’s terrifying concept for themselves, in an environment we know they're spending their time, said Lia Devlin, Managing Director, Altitude Distribution, in a statement.

The normal Deadpines game involves eliminating hordes of zombies, and Ricardo Briceno, Chief Business Officer at Gamefam, stated that “there is no more authentic match for bloodthirsty zombies than an activation with the severed hand from ‘Talk to Me.’

Neither Fortnite nor its parent, Epic Games, are involved with the activation, which has been created by Gamefam under Fortnite Creative, which allows anyone to freely create content for the free platform.