Prey 2: Teaser

A plane ride turns into a nightmare in this teaser for computer game Prey 2. Shot in hand-held and presented like a feature film trailer, it's reminiscent of mockumentary sci-fi flick Cloverfield.

“The emergency exits are here, here, and in the gaping hole where the cockpit used to be.”

The thought of a mid-flight emergency is enough to terrify anyone – and that’s exactly what we were expecting when we saw a handcuffed prisoner led onto a commercial flight by an armed officer – supposedly filmed secretly by another passenger. What could be more frightening than a criminal taking control of your flight? Aliens taking control of the criminal?

The POV handheld-style trailer for Prey2 feels more like a teaser for a Cloverfield sequel than a video game ad, as an alien force of some description (we don’t see much of the action) rips into the cabin. Whatever it is, it’s in a worse mood than a BA stewardess on a stag party-laden flight to Prague – and it’s not planning on serving refreshments.

Sheer terror and a Cloverfield vibe was exactly what Goodness Mfg was going for, says Anja Duering, one of its creative directors.

“Cloverfield was certainly a reference that helped prove how impactful and frightening something can be when you don’t get to see it. It was important for us to focus on the chaos and the fear the people on the plane felt versus focusing too much on how cool our aliens look.”

Fellow creative director Carl Corbitt also explains how the POV angle was suitable for conveying the feeling of gaming. “It’s a style that’s truer to first-person shooters. You are the camera in Prey 2. It’s a very immersive experience, and we wanted the teaser trailer to be true to that.”

The trailer is one of the latest examples of video game ads that resemble movie trailers, which Duering believes is a result of the boundaries between the two forms becoming blurred. “Both movie clients and video game clients have similar goals. TassSSSShere is a lot of overlap. Movies become games, and now games are becoming more like playable movies.”

Find out how the Prey 2 trailer fits into the evolution of video game advertising in our special feature on page 126.JL