NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, and Fearless Media™, a pioneer in 360-degree Integrated Engagement Advertising, today announced that in tonight's hit reality competition episode of Face Off at 9:00pm ET/PT on Syfy, the contestants will compete to create original makeup inspired by characters from the upcoming action video game, Dishonored™. This is a one-of-a-kind integrated advertising program where video game characters have been used to inspire the content of a television show.
Dishonored is the award-winning first-person action game under development at Arkane Studios that casts the user as a supernatural assassin driven by revenge. The game will be available in North America on October 9, 2012 and throughout Europe on October 12, 2012. It is slated for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
"Dishonored is a new and exciting property -- so we wanted to give fans a unique experience with the game and its characters before it becomes available in October," said Cara Scharf, President of Fearless Media, the U.S. media agency for Bethesda Softworks, the publisher of Dishonored. "When I first saw Face Off, it immediately struck me as the perfect opportunity to take product integration up a notch. Integrated Engagement Advertising is exciting because it goes well beyond 'impressions' by adding context in engaging ways that make the product come to life."
The September 25, 2012 episode of Face Off takes integration a step further by enabling viewers to have a 'second screen' experience using Syfy Sync. Fans can use the Syfy app on their mobile tablets while watching the show to learn more about Dishonored and chat with other fans. For the episode, Syfy Sync will feature in-depth background information on the game, photo galleries of the character designs, and an event prompting users to pre-order the game via the Sync experience. The app will also feature behind-the-scenes videos with the game developers as they developed the game's characters, design and play.
"Face Off and Dishonored are a perfect match, both appealing to the Syfy audience of Igniters, highly imaginative people that move brands forward," Chris Czarkowski, Vice President, Network Advertising Sales, Syfy. "This partnership is a strategic opportunity for both brands to seamlessly reach this shared audience with a smart and creative approach."
Face Off is an authentic depiction of the high creative standards necessary for a special effects make-up artist to succeed in their craft. The series debuted in January 2011 as a new reality competition program to critical and ratings success. McKenzie Westmore hosts the series. Ve Neill (The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean), Glenn Hetrick (Mad Men, CSI New York) and Neville Page (Avatar, Prometheus) serve as judges. Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as executive producers.
In the Face Off episode set to air Tuesday, September 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, tensions are high as the competition reaches its half-way point. Contestants arrive at a beautiful downtown lounge in Los Angeles, The Edison, where they are shown a trailer from the video game, Dishonored™. For this Spotlight Challenge, the remaining artists are asked to create an original makeup inspired by one of the character classes in the video game, which must include exaggerated proportions or distorted features. Contestants make incredible characters come to life in some of the most inventive and imaginative ways yet.
About Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a worldwide publisher of premier interactive entertainment software. Titles featured under the Bethesda label include such blockbuster franchises as DOOM®, QUAKE®, The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, Wolfenstein® and RAGE®. Among the world's top development studios creating titles for ZeniMax are Bethesda Game Studios®, id® Software, Arkane® Studios, MachineGames™ Studios, Tango Gameworks™ and ZeniMax Online™ Studios. For more information on Bethesda Softworks' products, visit www.bethsoft.com.
About Fearless Media
Fearless Media™ is a New York-based media agency pioneering 360-degree Integrated Experience Advertising. The Fearless team creates one-of-a-kind campaigns that engage consumers through an integrated experience that makes products come alive. This new breed of advertising goes well beyond impressions -- it gives instant context to products, generating widespread buzz and positioning brands as marketing leaders. As a member of team that won the 2012 Marketer of the Year in Gaming, Fearless Media continually pushes the envelope for industry leaders such as Bethesda Softworks. The Fearless team has a clear understanding of how Branding and Direct Response intersect to achieve maximum ROI. For more information, visit www.fearless-media.com.
About Syfy
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
About Syfy Sync
Syfy Sync is a new feature for the Syfy App available for iPad and Android tablets. Using audio content recognition technology, Syfy App syncs with your favorite Syfy programming and serves up a content rich, contextual, two-screen experience. Users get exclusive access to photos, videos, polls and other dynamic content, which is in sync with the broadcast. Fans can chat with friends and see what others are saying throughout the episode, pulling conversations across Facebook, Twitter and Get Glue. Syfy hosted chats grants more access to fans, featuring contestants and judges from the show.
Dishonored © 2012 ZeniMax Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.