‘Day of Doom’ Teams Up Influencers With Pro Athletes

Innovative influencer marketing often comes from the video game industry and Bethesda Softworks‘ Day of Doom is a perfect example. Their campaign to promote the new edition of the classic first-person shooter is peopled with celebrities that blur the line between traditional and social media influencers. Doom’s new incarnation is one of the most eagerly anticipated titles of the year but Bethesda is making sure people are excited about it by launching a multiplayer tournament designed to capture the attention of a cross-section of fans by tapping a group of influential YouTubers alongside professional athletes.

The Day of Doom begins on March 29 with a livestream of the tournament on YouTube Gaming. Going head-to-head in the 6-on-6, single-elimination tournament are NFL and MLS sports stars Rob Gronkowski, Thierry Henry, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, and Antonio Brown. They’ll be teamed up with YouTubers like Rooster Teeth, SSSniperWolf, Funhaus and iJustine for the battle.

While Bethesda is sponsoring the event, it will stream on Rooster Teeth’s YouTube Gaming channel. The campaign also highlights how working with like-minded influencers can expand the creative energy behind custom content while also combining built-in audiences that can hit multiple targeted demographics. The influencers and the athletes are all heavily promoting the event on their various social channels, extending the reach of the campaign further.

The tournament wraps up just in time for Doom’s closed beta, which runs the weekend after the Day of Doom. Details of the beta and how players can participate can be found on Doom’s site.

“We’re thrilled to bring together some of the world’s greatest athletes with popular gaming YouTube stars for Day of Doom—the ultimate Doom multiplayer tournament,” said Pete Hines, vice president of marketing and public relations at Bethesda, in a statement. “It’s the perfect way to kick off Doom’s multiplayer closed beta weekend.”

Doom will be released to the public on May 13. The game will be available on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.