• by Danielle Oster , November 8, 2024

Two popular mediums collide in a new campaign from Supercell, which uses a true-crime-inspired podcast to promote its long-running hit free-to-play mobile strategy game “Clash of Clans."

The Finnish gaming company worked with agency partner David to create “Hammerless: A True Crime Podcast,” hosted on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

In what the brand claims is a “first of its kind” marketing play, the “true crime” in question is one committed in the game itself.

The podcast unfolds across four episodes, beginning with a premiere episode revealing that the hammer has been stolen. The podcast series, as well as  documentary-style campaign videos on the game’s YouTube channel, calls on viewers to piece together evidence, and consider potential suspects as the story unfolds -- and features Dr. Leslie Dobson, a psychologist known for her Tik Tok channel on forensic psychology.

"True crime stories are incredibly popular for building community and sparking conversation,” David New York CCO André Toledo said in a statement. “Together with our Supercell partners, we created the first in-game true crime story: a four-episode podcast that follows the mystery of who stole the hammer in the village, inviting the community to share their theories to help recover the hammer and save Hammer Jam.”

The campaign is promoting the series across a variety of channels, including Reddit and other social media platforms, as well as the game’s YouTube channel hosting videos. It culminates with the release of the final video and podcast episode, complete with the big reveal Nov. 7.