Topics: Gaming, Technology, US News, Weather, Climate Change
Guerrilla marketing doesn't get much better than this, folks.
Diablo IV dropped on June 5 and is the first instalment from the fan favourite video game franchise in 11 years.
To whip fans into a frenzy, billboards were erected across New York City to introduce players to the main antagonist of the game, Lilith.
She's also known in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology as the primordial she-demon, but that's neither here nor there.
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Lilith cut an impressive and ominous figure looming over the streets of the Big Apple.
The perfect ad doesn’t exist… pic.twitter.com/TBofT0VdjR
— Douglas A. Boneparth (@dougboneparth) June 7, 2023
But this was made much more realistic by the red glow across the sky of New York as hundreds of forest fires burn in Canada.
As well as turning the sky all hues of grapefruit, ruby red, and orange, thick clouds of smoke have clogged the lungs of residents.
Travel has also descended into chaos due to the dense smog.
But, in a rather grim silver lining, at least the Diablo IV posters looked lit against the eerie backdrop
The irony was not lost on social media users, of course.
People naturally flocked to Twitter to have a laugh at the weirdness of it all.
One user shared a snap of Blizzard's sign welcoming the city to Satan's neighbourhood.
The worlds 'Welcome to Hell, New York' bore down on the city streets. On Twitter, it appeared with a caption that read: "The perfect ad doesn’t exist…"
Another social media user added: "Blizzard got their New York Marketing game down to a science."
Blizzard got their New York Marketing game down to a science.
— Brian Dordevic 📲📷📈👑 - #WebDesign & SEO Expert (@briandordevic) June 8, 2023
Diablo - Welcome to Hell pic.twitter.com/MCXIxuBOj0
While a third chipped in with: "[This] has never been more accurate."
Another piped up with: "New York pulled off the best Diablo IV promo collaboration."
And, while the spine-chilling weather conditions may have been just a coincidence, we have to admit it is brilliant free press after a decade of no Diablo.
While it might look cool, the reality for New Yorkers is pretty grim. The current state of the air quality has been deemed as 'unhealthy' this week.
Some of the levels are off the charts, such as the PM2.5 concentration rate.
PM2.5 concentration is the fine particulate matter that is in the air, and that was at a staggering 24.9 times above the World Health Organization's guideline.
The Diablo IV Billboard that says “Welcome to Hell, New York.” Has never been more accurate
— Matthew Tiemstra (@The_SireMatt) June 7, 2023
A piece from The New York Times highlighted why these numbers are a cause for concern.
"Microscopic particles that are about one-fifth to one-thirtieth as wide as a human hair can travel deep into your lungs and even into your bloodstream," the joint piece reads, written by Jesus Jiménez, Derrick Bryson Taylor and Judson Jones.
It added that if these nasty particles make their way into your body then it 'can cause inflammation and dampen your immune system'.
Great, just great.
Maybe Lilith will save us, after all.
Diablo IV is out now.
