PONOS' The Battle Cats gets 'hacked' for Black Friday

Gaming company PONOS and creative innovation firm R/GA and have partnered up to launch a new Black Friday global campaign for PONOS' mobile game, The Battle Cats. 

Developed with the aim to increase The Battle Cats' reach and reputation in North America, the global campaign will see the gaming brand's social media channels hacked by a criminal organisation who call themselves 'The OutCats'.

The "hacked" accounts will post a video revealing that The OutCats are made up of revengeful individuals rejected by The Battle Cats nine years ago and are distributing contraband to players. Every player who logs on to the game will automatically receive 999 cans of Cat Food - the game's currency.

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In tandem, a statement detailing how one of PONOS' warehouses has been targeted by thieves who have made off with 100 million cats of Cat Food will be issued. 

“We were delighted to be chosen as PONOS’ global innovation partner to drive its US market expansion and help take the brand and its iconic game to new creative heights,” said Anthony Baker, general manager, R/GA Japan in a statement. 

“This partnership gives us an exciting opportunity to work on a brief with a real difference. They are a brave, innovative company – and we love how they always try to do what’s best for their fans. Now that our first campaign is out there, we look forward to what else the OutCats have in store – and how The Battle Cats will respond.”

The 'OutCats' Black Friday campaign is the first in a new long-time creative innovation partnership between both companies. It is also the first in this series of campaigns to take The Battle Cats' brand narrative to new places. 

The Black Friday campaign will run across Asia Pacific and the United States and is one of the many campaigns to be held over the holiday. 

According to a study by global digital asset management platform, Bynder, marketers are likely to work 11 extra hours during the Black Friday weekend. In more extreme cases, 6% reported that they will work more than 25 additional hours.

Additionally, around 51% of marketers surveyed indicated that more marketing assets are required for Black Friday than for any other seasonal holiday.

The Battle Cats was originally released in 2012 for Japan. The English version was released later in 2014. The game amassed more than 85 million downloads and became an acclaimed tower defence strategy game. 

The Battle Cats sees players taking on the role of a commander and leading cats in battles against different enemy types such as commonplace animals, bizarre fauna-like creatures and more. 

As players progress, they must spend Cat Food to open Capsules and gain access to new Battle Cats. 

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