ANZ Premier League
The video game World of Tanks was struggling with dwindling Australasian player numbers. Instead of making traditional billboard and bus stop ads telling people to play the game, I targeted gamers where they were - watching live-streamed gaming content online.
To do this, I created a grassroots esports league to be broadcast on the popular live-streaming site Twitch. It became one of the most successful pieces of content World of Tanks has ever produced in the region. It drew in huge viewer numbers locally and globally and sponsorships from some of gaming’s largest brands like HyperX, Alienware, noblechairs and Republic of Gamers. Most importantly, it massively boosted World of Tanks player numbers and went on to be replicated in the rest of the Asia region.
The Broadcast
Using Twitch we were able to broadcast the esports league to a huge audience of gamers without spending a penny. You can watch the 2023 Grand Final broadcast below.
The Teams
I designed eight initial team identities for the league which eventually grew to fifteen due to its popularity, with each team being named after a vehicle in the game.
The Hype Video
To promote the league I created hype videos to capture the action packed games and build excitement around it.
Highlight Videos
To keep our audience engaged in between our weekly live streams, I produced an array of content for World of Tank’s social media channels. This included weekly highlight reels, articles covering the previous week’s games and behind the scenes content of the player’s voice communications during the most intense moments.
Voice Comms
During broadcasts, viewers weren’t able to hear the player’s voice communications. Since I had access to this, I decided to make content out of it. The voice comms videos became fan favourites, giving viewers a sneak peek behind the scenes at what the player’s were saying during the tense engagements and their often very humorous banter.
Brand Partnerships
Due to the success of the ANZPL, we attracted a lot of attention from gaming brands looking to get a piece of the action. These sponsors were integrated into the league in a variety of ways, including creating in-game billboards, sponsored segments and keywords in Twitch chat that would give players a chance to win giveaways. One of these giveaways was a custom World of Tanks Keyboard I designed for Hyper X.
The Fantasy League
I created a fantasy league where viewers create their own ANZPL teams and earn points based on their teams performance that week, with in-game and sponsor prizes up for grabs for the best fantasy league players.
Live Grand Final
On top of online broadcasts on Twitch, Grand Final games were played live in front of a live audience at the Alienware Arena, the largest esports arena in Australasia.
