The creative idea

‘Baity Battle’ is the first Fortnite game mod synced in real-time to connect games to meal-time.

We created an island on Fortnite that followed sun-light hours in Saudi Arabia, helping Muslim gamers keep track of time just by looking at the game skyline. That way, they could tell when to stop playing and join their families at the dining table for Iftar and Suhoor, the two main meals of Ramadan. 

The ‘Baity Battle’ campaign is a first-of-its-kind in-game solution for a real-world problem faced by millions in the region, and it connected with consumers during the busiest advertising time of the year.

The context

Gaming in the MENA region is constantly on the rise. And during Ramadan, the region’s biggest season, gaming time increases as a result of shorter working hours and long active nights, with studies showing that 39% of gamers in MENA play longer during this time. 

And when players are having fun, time flies by - research shows that 99% of gamers reported experiencing time loss while gaming.

But during Ramadan, some rituals must be respected, and this becomes an actual problem. People fasting need to follow strict times for eating, all based on sunset and sunrise. And so, they must be mindful of every minute, because missing a meal with their family is not an option.

stc, Saudi’s biggest telecom, is proud of its Baity Games, a plan with an impressive 200 Mbps upload speed, promising the smoothest gaming experience ever. But its speedy connection is so good it becomes a problem, getting players completely immersed in the game.

So, we created the solution: a customized island on Fortnite, where time is synced with the real world–when the sun approaches the horizon in real-life, it does the same in the game.

The strategy

As the region’s most important season of the year, Ramadan is a time where brands advertise heavily. In order to stand out, stc needed to connect with the audience on a cultural level while meeting them where they were spending most of their time. 

Showing respect to the Muslim values is one of the keyways to connect with the Muslim audience­–which drives brands to communicate during Ramadan. So much so that 79% of the Muslim community state they choose brands that resonates with their cultural values. 

stc communicates all year long about their seamless connection to keep gamers playing for longer but for Ramadan this needed to change: stc placed people at front & showed respect by bringing a digital, in-game solution to a real-world problem: getting gamers at the table on time.

The execution

Utilizing Fortnite’s in-game Creators platform, we created Baity Battle, a Ramadan mode with a custom island on Fortnite that has set sunrise and sunset times to help gamers keep track of time. Following the Arabia Standard Time, the time on the island is synced with the real world, connecting gamers to meal-time.

The island was based on the map of KSA, and featured mountains, cliffs, deserts, the sea, a modern city, and a traditional village. It also included challenges and side-missions inspired by Saudi hobbies, like camping, falconry, and dune bashing.

Baity Battle was featured on Fortnite’s Discover page for the first days of Ramadan, receiving weekly updates until the end of Ramadan, keeping gamers engaged and returning to play with friends and family. It was also promoted via Saudi Twitch streamers.

The results

Baity Battle impacted +4MM players through Fortnite’s Discovery Screen, where it was featured during the entire month of Ramadan.

12MM in-game.

+16% increase in subscription to Baity Games, stc’s fiber connection plan dedicated to gamers.

Zero family meals missed.

The cultural context of Ramadan

Like all months of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan’s beginning and end is dictated by the moon cycle. 

Moon-sighting committees reunite to observe the sky, looking for the first appearance of a crescent moon. A tradition held since the beginning of Islam, empowered by the use of advanced telescopes. After a full moon cycle, the process repeats itself to mark the end of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, the times of meals and prayers are set by the exact timings of sunrise and sunset–timings that change daily. Observing the horizon is crucial for knowing when to start or break fasting.

The sky plays a central role in the habits and traditions of Ramadan. Mimicking the cycles of sun and moon during this month brings a huge cultural and tradition weight to a very modern medium, one that brings new challenges to the holy month.

Credit list for the work

Name: stc Baity Battle 
Agency: Wunderman Thompson Riyadh & Wunderman Thompson Dubai 
Chief Creative Officer, MENA: Chafic Haddad 
Executive Creative Director: Pablo Dachefsky (Dubai), Rayyan Aoun (KSA) 
Creative Director, Dubai: Tiago Bastos 
Associate Creative Director: Marcelo Zylberberg 
Senior Art Director: Tiago Bastos 
Junior Art Director: Yamin Inayah 
Senior Copywriter: Sara Ibrahim 
Copywriter: Benjamin Kirby, Mohammed Binkhudhair 
Motion Designer: Aashim Kadayikkal 
Business Director: Jad Haddad 
Account Director: Joseph Elhage 
Account Manager: Ahmed Al-Ajami 
STC Senior Media Analyst: Wajd Almusallam 
STC Digital Media Director: Abdullah Alotaibi 
STC Commercial Marketing Communication GM: Faisal Al Saad 
Production Company: XCave Studios 
Camila Vulcanis - Executive Producer 
Rod Hurtado - XR Creative Director 
Paulo Furtado - Game Director 
Rafaela Aquino – Producer 
Harry Jekyll - Lead Technical Artist 
Breno Giovanelli - Technical Artist 
Pedro Alvez - Game Artist 
Felipe Falkiner - Game Operations