• by Fern Siegel , 7 hours ago

PlayStation utilized NBA pro Gianni Antetokounmpo in its latest spot — and it's passed more than 1 million views to date. MDRN Logic produced the ad.

Running on Instagram and TikTok, the video game spot taps into Gianni's childhood. He played PlayStation in Nigeria and Greece with his brothers — and later becoming an official PlayStation Playmaker. 

The Miami Heat forward said: “Being a Playmaker is a full-circle moment for me. Now I know, play has no limits. That’s how I live my life, day by day.”

The spot is part of a continuing series for PlayStation Playmakers, in which athletes, actors, artists and entertainers discuss what the brand means to them.

Allan Gungormez, MDRN Logic's Chief Strategy Officer, told Agency Daily: “Instead of trying to manufacture a big connection between basketball and gaming, we focused on something much more human. The instinct to play doesn’t really change just because you become one of the best athletes in the world.

“We never wanted the machinery of the campaign to overpower the person at the center of it. Then the camera rolls, and Gianni does something you never could have put into a script. Those moments are gold because they tell you the premise is working.”

The agency's creative includes Epic Games, DoorDash, Nike and FX.

PlayStation is owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment.