Every year, thousands flock in-person and even more tune in live to Call of Duty NEXT, the premiere showcase for the franchise and a hands-on experience of its latest game for players, creators, and press. In 2024, Call of Duty wanted NEXT to be the kickoff event worthy of a true action blockbuster.
We needed to open the event in a way that brought in more than just the usual gamers. But cemented Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as the biggest action blockbuster of the year, on par with any TV show or movie.
To accomplish this, for the first time ever we gave Black Ops 6 its very own anthem worthy of a true 1990s action blockbuster and its very own MC: Killer Mike.
As Call of Duty descended on Washington DC, we embraced the national stage by giving the game an anthem that set the tone for the community of over 250 million active players and beyond.
To do this, we recruited the ultimate instigator: rapper, activist, and Grammy-award winner: Killer Mike to kick off Call of Duty NEXT with an epic music video and new track inspired by the game.
As viewers tuned into the NEXT live-stream, Killer Mike interrupted and hijacked the feed, opening the event with a never-before-seen performance of a verse from his brand new Black Ops 6-inspired song “Detonator”.
As fans tuned in, Killer Mike lit the fuse and brought the people’s message to the powers that be. The performance, set against the backdrop of the Washington DC skyline, teased and tee’d up the longer-form music video that then dropped following NEXT. Both the performance and the music video brought Killer Mike’s lyrics to life, with Black Ops 6-style distortions and glitches. By showing up unannounced at the start of the NEXT livestream, we were able to get the visual anthem out across the screens of every gamer tuning in.
Following the event, we released the full version of Detonator. Pairing powerful visuals with a lyrical rally cry, the song and video exploded across gaming, music fans, and popular culture globally. The performance ushered in Black Ops 6 in the style of a true action blockbuster and delivered an unexpected and indelible mark on the Call of Duty franchise.
Killer Mike set an explosive, subversive tone for the beginning of the Call of Duty NEXT broadcast, with a web-wide reach of over 595,000,000 and 200,000 live viewers. In the days that followed, this Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 anthem reached 1.6 million views across Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram. In headlines, Call of Duty reached across gaming, entertainment, Hip-Hop, music, and culture in Rolling Stone, SPIN, Pitchfork, and others.
