• by Tanya Gazdik , September 8, 2019

World Wrestling Entertainment is launching a multimedia campaign to launch the latest installment of the WWE 2K video game franchise. 

For the first time in the game’s 6-year history, WWE 2K20 is featuring two cover stars: Roman Reigns, the fan favorite who battled back from a leukemia diagnosis earlier this year to triumphantly return to the ring, and Becky Lynch, who in April became one of the first women to ever win main event WrestleMania.

The effort, “Step Inside,” was created by San Francisco-based barrettSF and includes two spots with a third to come. The agency is also creating banners and shorter bite-sized videos.

The game features more “female-centric” features than ever before, says Chris Snyder of 2K Sports. 

“Becky Lynch made history when she headlined WrestleMania, so it’s only fitting that she’s making history again as the first woman to ever be on our game’s cover,” Snyder says in a statement.

Both spots are set at a formal party in an opulent mansion. 

The cover reveal spot, which broke in August, features a cast of tuxedo-clad WWE legends, including Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, mingling at a “men’s only” party. The party comes to a crashing halt when Becky Lynch literally breaks through the room’s glass ceiling. Amid a stunned crowd, Roman Reigns approaches Lynch and welcomes her to “Step Inside” the party with a champagne toast. 

In the pre-order spot, which broke Sept. 4, Hogan and Austin are joined by WWE Hall of Famers Sting, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, who are together onscreen for the first time.

The campaign will culminate in a launch spot featuring the entire cast, timed to break Oct. 22 to coincide with the launch of WWE 2K20 on PS4, Xbox One and PC platforms.

The effort brings together the biggest names from the past and present, said Todd Eisner, creative director at barrettSF.

The campaign broke on the WWE Network and will run across broadcast, digital and social media through the holiday season. The buy includes promoting on USA Network (c), YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other digital platforms.