Xbox has launched “Wake Up,” a global brand campaign created by Droga5. Co-directed by David Fincher and Romain Chassaing via production company RESET, this “Wake Up” spot demonstrates that life doesn’t have to feel like a rat race, reminding us that Xbox helps awaken the human spark inside. Xbox brings the joy and power of gaming to everyone–breaking through the monotony.
In a world where doomscrolling and passive entertainment often dominate, Xbox and Droga5 set out to highlight gaming as a more immersive, life-affirming form of engagement—one that can happen anytime, anywhere through cloud gaming and Xbox’s expanding ecosystem of devices. The film depicts the rat race of life through actual rat characters in “Squeakattle,” a fictitious city where those who embrace play discover what it really means to feel alive.
From brand strategy and creative platform to film script and final production, Droga5 shaped every aspect of “Wake Up” in close collaboration with its directors and Xbox—aiming to reach and resonate with all players. Every detail, from character design and city architecture to textural elements like ads and subway signs, was crafted to make the rat world feel fully authentic. Actors with creature-performance experience brought these rats to life on set, while 1920 VFX transformed them into the vivid characters seen in the final film.
Tres Colacion, executive creative director, Droga5 NY, said, “Growing up, gaming advertising felt like a glitch in the matrix, something honest in a sea of deception. ‘Wake Up’ is about rekindling that tradition and reestablishing that dialogue. In David Fincher, we found a collaborator who has not only defined a generation of filmmakers but, more importantly, shares that intention with a rare depth of care. We hope that, like the great gaming work of the past, our message finds someone staring into the void and shakes them awake.”
