Ben Stiller leads John Travolta and LeBron James in a parenting class in 'God of War Ragnarök' ad

A little over a week away from the release of “God of War Ragnarök,” publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment has convened a trio of celebrities—and their real-life kids—to stump for the hotly anticipated video game in a new ad campaign. The spot, created by Los Angeles-based agency Mocean, stars Ben and Quin Stiller, LeBron and Bronny James and John and Ella Travolta in a lighthearted round table discussion that highlights the quirks of nearly every parent-child relationship. Against a backdrop of classical piano and with the elder Stiller dressed as Kratos, the protagonist in the long-running “God of War” video game franchise, the A-list families take turns exchanging stories, zingers and words of affirmation in the spot, which clocks in at more than two-and-a-half minutes long. The idea is to highlight humorously that, just like in "God of War," it’s challenging for parents to earn the respect of their kids. “‘All Parents Can Relate’ is playfully irreverent, which represents a core tenet of the PlayStation brand,” said Eric Lempel, senior VP, global head of marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, which owns both the PlayStation family of gaming consoles and “God of War” developer Santa Monica Studios. “We tend to joke around a lot and had actually never really acted together—and to have all our kids there doing this felt really organic,” Ben Stiller said in a statement. “I think Quin and Ella and Bronny all did great—they seem to not have any trouble taking us down,” he added. Officially debuting this morning, the “God of War Ragnarök” ad will be distributed globally via PlayStation’s owned social and digital channels, including YouTube, where it has already racked up hundreds of thousands of views just a few hours after being posted. “God of War Ragnarök” will be available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 starting Nov. 9. The title is the ninth installment in Sony’s ultra-popular “God of War” video game line-up and is the direct sequel to 2018’s “God of War,” which debuted to widespread acclaim. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s new humorous, star-studded spot is a significant departure from how the company promoted the previous “God of War” installment four years ago. That ad, handled by BBH New York, took the form of a CGI-animated epic, following the game’s two main characters through a series of elaborate battle scenes. A spokesman for Sony said that this was the first time the brand had worked with Mocean on advertising. He confirmed that Playstation is still working with agency of record Adam&Eve/DDB.

Ben Stiller leads John Travolta and LeBron James in a parenting class in 'God of War Ragnarök' ad

Featured Stories