Those traveling through the London Underground's Oxford Circus might have noticed a pretty big change to some of the roundel signs, as Sony has swapped them out with PlayStation symbols to advertise the PS5's launch in the UK next week. The change will only last a few days, but it's an admittedly cool piece of marketing for the console.
The cross, circle, triangle, and square symbols are all present at the station, though the walls of other London Underground stations have also had PlayStation branding painted onto them, primarily for some of PlayStation's major exclusives, like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, all of which are high profile games for the system. PlayStation has also "renamed" some of the stops, like renaming Mile End "Miles End" for Spider-Man Miles Morales.
Funnily enough, the Oxford Circus symbols are located near one of Microsoft's stores, which does add a bit of cheeky humor to the entire ordeal. Both companies are in the midst of major console launches, though Microsoft's Xbox Series X has been available since November 10 in both the US and the UK, while the PlayStation 5 isn't set to release in the UK until tomorrow, November 19.
The signs are only set to be up today and tomorrow, though Sony has asked that only those that must travel do so, because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Real-world marketing campaigns are nothing new, especially pertaining to video games. Triple-a games and new console launches will frequently incorporate some sort of marketing element out in the wild, like Bethesda painting Doom art on the side of a building.
So far, the PS5 itself has been a success, despite availability issues making the console difficult to acquire. PS5 reviews have been positive, with many hailing it as a much greater generational leap than the PS4 was when it first launched. Sony will need to maintain that success, but given campaigns like this and the company's reputation, it seems likely that it will manage to do so.
The ball is now in Microsoft's court to do something similar with the Xbox Series X. Both consoles have their merits, and while Xbox doesn't quite have as many first-party games announced, but it still has some heavy-hitting franchises, like Halo and Gears of War, so it's certainly possible for the company to launch its own campaign. Taking over the London Underground might be a bit played-out now, but there are endless possibilities.
The PS5 launches on November 19 in the UK. It is currently available in other regions.
Source: IGN