The Tale of Elijah the celebrity and Uzgahk the orc.
"Just when I thought I wouldn’t encounter another orc, here I am playing a version of myself that's stuck in a love triangle between a needy orc and a casual mobile RPG game, AFK Arena. Surprisingly not the weirdest thing that’s happened this year."
Elijah Wood, 2020
Back in 2020, we were approached by Lilith Games to create a campaign AFK Arena.
AFK Arena is an idle role-playing game and certified home-wrecker. Well, that's if you believe Uzgahk the Horrid.
The CG orc features in a rival, 'World of Warcraft'-style RPG that no longer scratches Wood's gaming itch. One-hundred-and-fifteen hours spent upgrading a loincloth seemingly does that to a relationship.
The deterioration of Elijah and Uzgahk’s bond played out across an evening of commercial breaks on ADULT SWIM.
But wait, there’s more…
In order to reward loyal fans, we sneakily hid a bunch of discount codes throughout the campaign. Eagle eyed viewers could use the codes to access special rewards in AFK Arena.
Isn’t that the guy from Ted Lasso?
I have to say, I was incredibly lucky to work on this project. So many amazing and talented people helped to make Uzgahk and Elijah’s breakup as real as any Orc break up I’ve witnessed. Here’s some behind the scenes fun…
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
Role: Creative Direction
With: Hollie Walker, Chelsea Thorley, Hannah Fortune, Elijah Wood
Director: Nick Ball