To celebrate the 14th birthday of FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), EA Sports has unveiled a comedic and absurd advertising spot.
EA Sports’ latest collaboration with production studio Kode and creative studio 20something, sees the pair create a fictional confidential and ‘utterly secretive’ department of EA, BIRGFUT (Bureau of Independent Revelry and Gatherings for Ultimate Team), where ‘haphazard but loyal’ scientists dedicate time to engineering the perfect birthday party for FUT.
Rooted in dry comedy, the playful mockumentary-style film is rich in references to the EA Sports FIFA game and also features a cameo from Portuguese footballer João Félix.
The spot – directed by Harry Cauty – looks to unlock the ‘secrets’ behind the preparation for FUT’s birthday and also intends to come across as a low-budget corporate onboarding video.
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“This project is a brilliant example of Kode’s evolving direct-to-client base,” Kode executive producer Matt Fleming said. “We’re fortunate to say that this is one of several films we’ve made with EA SPORTS over the past 3 years. We pride ourselves on the fact that we don’t just make traditional TV adverts, and projects like this are a brilliant example of making content on a commercial scale, with creative collaboration from EA SPORTS, Kode and 20something shining through.”
20something head of copy Elliot Starr added: “Celebrate the anniversary of one the most culturally-impassioned, fan-centric parts of one of the world’s most-loved and most-played games. As briefs go, it doesn’t get much better than that – engaging the 1% ultra hardcore fans to turn on the 99%. That kind of thinking is always exciting. We started talking about a ‘birthday department’ at EA. It seemed so beautifully ridiculous to me. It deserved next-level absurdity. An energetic, collaborative effort between EA, Kode Media, and 20something has produced exactly that.”
