DOOM: The Dark Ages and Kramer Guitars Offer Up a Brutal Fusion of Gaming, Art and Metal

Brand partnership specialist Miai+ is powering the launch of the latest instalment of Bethesda’s smash hit game DOOM: The Dark Ages with a collaboration between Kramer Guitars, beloved by rock and metal musicians since the 1980s, and Xbox.

The collab sees fans being given the chance to win one of three custom-made Kramer Guitars, each of which features a major element of gameplay from DOOM: The Dark Ages – the latest version of the critically acclaimed action series.

Along with orchestrating the partnership, Miai+ has created launch activity, including a film starring Luke Preece, the illustrator behind the bespoke guitars. But it couldn’t be more different to the typical staid story of the artist at work in his studio. Instead, Miai+’s film shows Luke fully immersed in the world of DOOM™: The Dark Ages, before revealing the custom Kramer Guitars, as the game’s famous soundtrack kicks in.

Each guitar design began as a digital concept, meticulously planned and illustrated before being brought to life through hand-cut stencils and detailed brushwork. Every one-of-a-kind piece centres on an iconic weapon from the DOOM universe - The Atlan, Serrat the Dragon, and The Slayer himself - capturing their raw power in striking detail.

​Scott Zeall, senior partnership manager and gaming lead at Miai+, said, “Bethesda’s insights into the DOOM audience took us in what might seem an unusual direction for this brand activation, but it actually makes total sense. The DOOM series is steeped in heavy metal riffs and hardcore solos, while Kramer was the first guitar designed with metal and rock shredder virtuosos in mind. Bringing those worlds together has resulted in something way more epic than the usual giveaways.”

“DOOM is literally me in a video game,” says illustrator Luke Preece. “And DOOM and metal go hand-in-hand, because the Kramer brand has such a vast history with heavy metal music, just like Doom has with video games. Getting to bring together music, gaming and art in this campaign by Miai+ is the dream.”

Supporting the activation is a social media campaign and content created especially for Xbox.