Seconds into the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2024 schedule launch video, one factor turns into abundantly clear — this would possibly not be your peculiar NFL schedule unveiling.
It is set on this planet of “The Sims,” a life simulation online game sequence the place gamers can create characters and management their lives by way of numerous goals and duties.
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Within the Chargers’ world, there is a scene of John and Jim Harbaugh combating, harking back to the film “Step Brothers.” A portrait of Invoice Belichick’s canine, who turned a star through the 2020 NFL draft, is at a Foxborough retirement house.
Midway by way of the video, Joe Burrow, carrying his Tremendous Bowl go well with, arrived at a 7-11 gasoline station manned by Ja’Marr Chase. In October 2023, the Cincinnati Bengals large receiver posted a photograph of the gasoline station on social media earlier than carrying a 7-11 chain in sport that month, a nod to his perception that he is all the time open.
There are cameos from NBA gamers — most notably Denver Nuggets heart Nikola Jokic, who stands with a horse behind a water nicely. Jokic has family-owned horses in Sombor, Serbia.
F1 racer and member of the Denver Broncos possession group, Lewis Hamilton makes an look the place he walks out of a “Ball Mart.” A gaggle headed by Walmart inheritor Rob Walton purchased the Broncos in 2022.
Taylor Swift seems at a window whereas Travis Kelce information an episode of the “New Heights” podcast together with his brother, Jason, prompting Travis to affix her in her personal jet.
And that is only a sampling of the various cameos and inside-NFL jokes featured within the video.
The eye to element got here to life by way of a collaboration of the Chargers social and video staff working collectively, in response to Jason Lavine, Chargers Vice President of Content material & Manufacturing. As of Friday night, the video has over 36 million views on X.
There have been a number of elements of the video that Lavine believes resonated with audiences.
The Sims video games have offered 200 million copies because the first sport’s launch in 2000. It was additionally introduced in March {that a} Sims film starring Margot Robbie is within the works.
“That helps us an amazing quantity too, simply because it is part of, what we’re attempting to do is be part of the zeitgeist of tradition,” Lavine stated. “And we bought very fortunate that that film was popping out. So we felt like we had been part of tradition.”
Coming off the success of their anime-themed schedule launch movies previously two years, there was exterior discuss what the Chargers would do that 12 months. These movies went viral every time — final 12 months’s eclipsed 20 million views on X — and arrange a possible trilogy.
However they went in a special course and wished to point out they might do it with out anime, Lavine stated.
“I assumed that they had discovered a strategy to take the success of anime and really discovered a strategy to just do as nicely,” he stated. “And I actually thought that was an not possible process. And I assumed that they had pulled off the not possible.”
Allie Raymond and Hannah Johnson, members of the Chargers’ social media staff, pitched the concept in late February. Lavine stated it was a convincing sure and an concept that match the staff’s mission when making a schedule launch.
Raymond and Johnson performed the sport and constructed out particular scenes and characters which might be customizable mods.
David Bretto (Director, Artistic Video), Tyler Pino (Sr. Director, Manufacturing) and Megan Julian (Director, Social Media and Content material Efficiency) then took the uncooked property that had been recorded and pulled them collectively.
Lavine stated a separate group of 5 to seven folks a part of a “joke staff” labored to “construct out ideas that then might be whittled all the way down to what can stream and make for the most effective piece.” A smaller group of Raymond, Johnson, Bretto, Pino and Julian determined which of them would go within the video.
The problem with The Sims is that there is solely a lot customization that’s doable. If carried out accurately, it could align as carefully to what’s supposed for a personality. Due to this fact, there might be a Sims world the place a personality harking back to Russell Wilson turns into upset when fellow Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields enters the room.
“It takes a number of filming and redoing of issues, as a result of there’s solely a lot management you’ll be able to have over these characters,” Lavine stated. “They’ve a lifetime of their very own. That is the purpose. So it takes an unbelievable period of time to get it excellent and fill the completely different angles and scenes you should construct these sequences.”
The unique video was over 5 minutes lengthy, however they had been capable of lower it all the way down to its closing size: 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Based on the Chargers, a schedule launch video needs to be quick sufficient that folks will likely be compelled to return and watch it.
A number of views additionally enhance the prospect of followers figuring out the various Easter eggs, like a 28-3 nod on the joyful hour signal outdoors of a membership the place Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins is DJing or George Pickens watching himself get drafted by the Steelers in 2022
Easter eggs have been a technique of the Chargers’ social staff for 5 to 6 years, Lavine stated. He added that the staff believes the web can have respect for the extent of sophistication of their jokes.
“From an NFL fan standpoint … different followers can do nothing however tip their cap and smile due to the extent of element this staff went to seek out jokes,” Lavine stated. “And inside jokes that resonate with fan bases which might be diehard followers, [and] the people who find themselves informal soccer followers.”
