Kia enlists League of Legends gamers for its ‘tilt-proof’ challenge

Players who dare to take part have one, seemingly simple, rule to follow: stay calm as the car speeds across a racetrack. Yikes. If they lose their cool – or ’tilt’, as gamers might say – they walk away with nothing.

The entertaining piece of content is intended to promote the brand’s latest Facial Analysis app that tracks any participant’s minor emotional reaction, combined with a heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter.  

“This campaign was the perfect opportunity to bring two concepts together: tilt-proof, which relates to our League of Legends EMEA Championship partnership, and the EV6 GT, our 2023 World Performance Car,” says David Hilbert, director of marketing at Kia Europe.

“By challenging the participants to ride in an EV6 GT without ‘tilting,’ we got to showcase just how fun and dynamic the EV6 GT’s driving experience is. The fact that every single one of them ‘tilted’ proves what the EV6 GT is capable of – an exhilarating and dynamic driving performance."

It’s a social-first campaign from the creative agency Innocean Berlin. Launching on Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitch, the push will span different European markets.

Ricardo Wolff, executive creative director at Innocean Berlin, added: “This is one of those beautiful cases in which the latest tech interacts with human emotions, all backed by an awesome, award-winning car. I'm pretty sure we're planting a little question in the minds of everyone who comes across our challenge: 'Would I remain tilt-proof?’“

Gamers who participated in the ad were Jorge Casanaovas, Carmen Sanchez, Romain Jacques and Daniel Broekmann. Fans of League of Legends will instantly recognixe the voiceover as well-known caster Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain.

Kia warns viewers not to try this at home, the video was filmed at a driving center under controlled conditions.