Submitted by EdelmanAgency IPI Score 94/100

Halo Wars 2 Campaign

Influencer Marketing

Edelman reinvented the standard game preview event and coordinated influencer content across 6 markets to drive beta downloads for Xbox's Halo Wars 2 launch.

575MReach
4.2MViews
1 in 7Beta downloads from content

About the campaign

The video game preview event had become one of the most predictable formats in launch marketing, and Xbox needed more than routine coverage ahead of Halo Wars 2's release on 21 February 2017: it needed sustained international hype and, unusually for the category, measurable beta downloads. Edelman, Xbox's PR and influencer partner, rebuilt the playbook on two fronts.

It reinvented the press preview as a multi-market spectacle, drawing 80 media and influencers from 17 markets who went on to produce more than 85 preview stories and over 50 gameplay videos, and it ran a coordinated influencer programme in which 20 creators across six markets delivered two Twitch livestreams and 21 videos to reach both Halo franchise fans and the more niche real-time strategy audience. The distinctive layer was Instant Hero, a dedicated content strand on Xbox owned channels built around a traceable conversion path to the beta download rather than reach alone, treating content as a direct driver of player behaviour.

Edelman reports 575 million total reach, 4.2 million views across owned and earned media, and one in seven of all beta downloads attributed directly to the Instant Hero content; the absolute download volume and attribution methodology are not disclosed, and all figures are agency self-reported.

Case in 60 seconds

The standard video game preview event format had become predictable, and Xbox needed a way to generate sustained international hype and measurable beta downloads ahead of the Halo Wars 2 release on February 21, 2017.

Preview events are a pillar of game launches, but a stale format produces diminishing returns; reinventing the experience while pairing it with structured influencer activity across markets could extend both reach and engagement beyond a single territory.

Reinvent the preview event as a multi-market spectacle and produce a dedicated Instant Hero content strand on owned channels that could be directly tied to a tangible action, the beta download, rather than reach alone.

Edelman recruited 20 influencers across 6 markets who produced 2 Twitch livestreams and 21 videos, while a separate preview event drew 80 media and influencers from 17 markets, generating over 85 preview stories and 50 gameplay videos. Instant Hero content was distributed on Xbox owned channels and linked to beta download behaviour.

Edelman reports 4.2M views across owned and earned media, 575M reach, and one in seven of all beta downloads attributed directly to the Instant Hero owned-channel content. All figures are self-reported by the agency.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

The primary audience was gaming enthusiasts and existing Halo franchise fans, with a particular focus on players who follow influencer content on Twitch and video platforms. The multi-market influencer selection across 6 markets and a preview event drawing attendees from 17 markets indicates an international audience rather than a single territory focus.
Video game preview events had become a familiar and increasingly routine format. Audiences and media had come to expect a predictable structure, which risked generating coverage without genuine excitement. Edelman framed its challenge explicitly as overcoming this staleness.
Real-time strategy games occupy a specific and relatively niche position within the broader gaming market. Halo Wars 2 needed to reach both existing Halo franchise fans and players interested in the RTS genre, which required content and coverage formats that would work across both audiences.
Xbox acted as publisher and platform owner for the Halo Wars 2 launch, with Edelman coordinating both the press preview and influencer activity as part of a unified launch strategy.
Attributing a specific fraction of beta downloads, one in seven, to a named content format (Instant Hero content on owned channels) suggests the strategy was built around a traceable conversion path, not just awareness. This approach treats content as a direct driver of a measurable action rather than a contributor to general sentiment.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Twitch livestreams (2 streams produced by influencers)
  • Influencer video content (21 videos published across influencer channels)
  • Instant Hero content series on Xbox owned channels
  • Earned media coverage from preview event (85+ preview stories, 50+ gameplay videos)
  • Press and influencer preview event (physical)

Partners

  • Edelman (lead PR and influencer agency)
  • 343 Industries (game developer, credited on Wikipedia)
  • Creative Assembly (game developer, credited on Wikipedia)
  • Microsoft Studios (publisher, credited on Wikipedia)

Participation mechanic

  • Influencers attended or were briefed to produce content ahead of the February 21, 2017 release
  • Media and influencers attended a physical preview event and produced coverage
  • Audiences were directed from Instant Hero owned-channel content to the beta download

Creator role

  • 20 influencers across 6 markets produced independent video and livestream content
  • Media attendees produced editorial preview stories and gameplay videos
  • Creators served as amplifiers converting owned-channel Instant Hero content into beta download intent

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult typeConfidence
Total reach575MReachAgency reported
Views across owned and earned media4.2MViewsAgency reported
Beta downloads attributed to Instant Hero content1 in 7 of all beta downloadsConversion / attributionAgency reported

Why Edelman's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Attributing a specific fraction of a tangible action, one in seven beta downloads, to a named content format (Instant Hero) is a more persuasive effectiveness claim than reach figures alone, because it traces a direct line between a content decision and a player behaviour. Edelman's own case study uses this as its lead outcome.

  2. 2

    Spreading influencer participation across 6 markets rather than concentrating activity in one territory supported the stated aim of international scale and is reflected in the 575M reach figure, though the relationship between geographic spread and that reach figure is not broken down in available sources.

  3. 3

    Reinventing the format of a press preview event, rather than running a standard one, appeared to sustain media and influencer engagement at volume: over 85 preview stories and 50 gameplay videos emerged from a single event drawing 80 attendees from 17 markets.

  4. 4

    Combining a physical event (for media and editorial coverage) with independently operating influencer content (for audience reach) and a dedicated owned-channel content strand (for conversion) created three distinct distribution layers rather than relying on one mechanism.

  5. 5

    Pairing Twitch livestreams with published video content allowed the influencer programme to reach both live and on-demand audiences, consistent with how gaming audiences consume pre-launch content.

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