Sony brings the drama back to gaming in new global PS5 campaign
Sony’s latest brand work focuses on the emotional highs of gaming, not hardware specs
Sony Interactive Entertainment is turning up the volume on emotion. Its latest global campaign for PlayStation 5, titled “It happens on PlayStation 5,” puts cinematic spectacle front and center, reminding gamers not just what the console does, but how it makes them feel.
Launching in more than 20 markets, the brand push isn’t about touting teraflops or new hardware. Instead, Sony is tapping directly into nostalgia, thrill, and community, those hard-to-quantify moments when a game leaves a mark.
This article explores the creative strategy behind the campaign, what it says about PlayStation’s brand priorities, and why marketers should pay attention.
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Patrecia Meliana
What happened: campaign overview
“It happens on PlayStation 5” leans hard into the kind of surreal, hyper-exaggerated scenarios that mirror how players recount their in-game exploits. A fishing boat crew battles a sea monster. A fuel truck dangles off a skyscraper. The point? Unbelievable things happen on PS5, both in the games and in the stories players tell after the controller’s put down.
The campaign is rolling out across key markets including the U.S., Japan, U.K., Germany, and Australia. It spans cinema, premium TV, outdoor activations, and digital channels, with some regions expected to get custom stunts that align with local culture. Each campaign spot is loaded with PlayStation easter eggs. The iconic triangle, circle, square, and cross symbols show up in unexpected places, rewarding fans for watching closely.
These flourishes are more than fan service. They’re part of a broader strategy to reinforce PlayStation’s cultural role, not just as a gaming brand, but as a shared space where imagination, competition, and emotion collide.
Why emotion matters more than hardware
This campaign marks a shift in tone and timing. With PS5 now several years into its lifecycle, Sony is no longer selling early adoption. It’s selling longevity, experience, and the emotional ROI of owning the console.
Isabelle Tomatis, Sony’s Vice President of Global Marketing, said it plainly: “Our goal is to provoke joy and excitement among the community and capture the emotions they feel when experiencing these unforgettable moments on PS5.”
That language matters. Sony isn’t just leaning into emotion for the sake of aesthetics. It’s doing so to strengthen player affinity amid a fragmented gaming landscape. With more titles launching cross-platform and cloud gaming loosening the grip of hardware ecosystems, emotional loyalty becomes a defensible moat. By positioning the PS5 as a vessel for awe and storytelling, not just high specs, Sony is doubling down on its brand equity.
What marketers should know
Sony’s creative direction offers a few useful cues for brand strategists and marketing teams looking to evolve their own messaging in saturated or maturing markets:
1. Emotion sustains where features fade
When hardware specs or new features are no longer enough to win headlines, it’s the emotional connection that keeps users coming back. Marketers should ask: what moment or memory do we own in our customer’s mind?
2. Use iconography to reward brand loyalists
PlayStation symbols aren’t just decorative. They’re signals to fans that they’re in on the joke. Strategic easter eggs and brand visuals can deepen engagement, especially among communities that value shared language and culture.
3. Localize spectacle without losing coherence
Sony’s campaign is global, but it hints at regional activations tailored to each market’s flavor. This is a blueprint for marketers managing cross-market campaigns: anchor in one clear emotional truth, then express it in ways that fit local nuance.
4. Shared experiences over individual consumption
The campaign leans into the idea of gaming as a communal act, stories retold, surprises shared. This framing is a reminder that even individual experiences can be marketed as collective moments. That’s a valuable shift for any brand that thrives on word-of-mouth or peer validation.
Sony’s latest PS5 campaign is less about what’s next and more about what’s unforgettable. In skipping the specs and showcasing surreal, emotionally charged moments, it’s making a bet that imagination, not innovation, is what keeps players loyal.
Marketers in any industry would be wise to take notes. The next big product push might not need to be about what’s new, but about what’s worth remembering.
