Playstation shapes up London Tube roundels with neon gaming icons ahead of PS5 launch
You may not be anywhere near the office water cooler right now, but we still want to spotlight the most talked about creative from the brands that should be on your radar. Today, we’re talking about Sony Playstation’s 48-hour neon takeover of the London Tube to mark the launch of the PS5.
Playstation shapes up London Tube roundels with neon gaming icons ahead of PS5 launch
PlayStation has staged a colourful takeover of five high-traffic London Underground stations as the Sony brand marks the arrival of the PlayStation 5 console on British shores.
Commuters and travellers who brave lockdown London can expect to see the Underground’s signature red loop motif augmented by PlayStation’s familiar green triangle, pink square and blue cross.
The geometric campaign will temporarily rebrand the interiors of Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central line platforms with walls and signage all sporting the playful new look.
The fun takeover is also intended to push the buttons of gamers by renaming stations after high profile titles heading for the console with ’Gran Turismo 7 Sisters’ taking the place of the better-known Seven Sisters and West Ham adopting the title ’Horizon Forbidden West Ham’ – a reference to the upcoming sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn.
Finally, Lancaster Gate will be known as ’Ratchet and Clankaster Gate’ for the duration of the campaign in a nod to the platformer.
From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #PS5 upgrade. pic.twitter.com/iw9qlEXR7B
— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) November 18, 2020
PlayStation’s square, cross and triangular pegs are a perfect fit for Transport for London’s roundel, though the capital's tube provider has a track record of rebranding its network to accommodate the needs of advertisers.
Most recently this saw Amazon Prime rename Piccadilly Station as ’Picardilly’ complete with all-new signage to coincide with the release of Star Trek: Picard.
Sony itself rebranded the famous Oxo tower with its four-button symbols for the launch of the PS4. The latest effort includes the ’Play Has No Limits’ messaging by Adam&EveDDB.
Gaming has always provided fertile ground for high concept stunts as the fierce rivalry between Sony and Microsoft spills over into advertising – all handily compiled by The Drum in a topical trip down memory lane earlier this month.
Highlights from past decades include PlayStation’s Dumbarton alien delivering an unsettling mental health monologue, best remembered for a bulbous forehead which presaged the arrival of Snapchat filters.
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