Xbox helps you flee the rat race in cinematic spot directed by David Fincher and Romain Chassaing

Humanoid rats experience the monotonous repetitions of life—going to the gym, work and back home—in a fictitious city called “Squeakattle” in a new global campaign from Xbox. “Wake Up,” created by Droga5 in partnership with Xbox, addresses the feeling many people have but rarely address—numbness—through a visually jarring film that metaphorically depicts the “rat race” of life. Human-looking rats experience a dull and gray existence, going through routines that are unfulfilling, until one unlocks a renewed purpose and inspiration when he turns on his Xbox. The idea came when Droga5’s creative team observed that while people naturally aspire to live and experience more, life can easily slip into routine. As a result, in a world where doomscrolling and passive entertainment dominate, the team sought to highlight gaming as a more immersive form of engagement that can happen anytime, anywhere. “Growing up, gaming advertising felt like a glitch in the matrix, something honest in a sea of deception,” said Tres Colacion, executive creative director at Droga5 New York. “‘Wake Up’ is about rekindling that tradition and reestablishing that dialogue ... We hope that, like the great gaming work of the past, our message finds someone staring into the void and shakes them awake.” The console wars of the late 1990s and early 2000s led to classic gaming spots such as BBH’s “Champagne” for Xbox and TBWA\London’s “Double Life” for PlayStation. To create the rats, Droga5 used VFX on actors with creature-performance experience. The campaign is the first major Xbox work from the agency since it was named agency of record in 2024. In addition to the film, Xbox has partnered with Samsung on a go-to-market collaboration to promote Samsung AI TVs to Xbox players. The campaign will run across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, the U.K., Spain, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium and Hungary.

Xbox helps you flee the rat race in cinematic spot directed by David Fincher and Romain Chassaing

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