We’ll be honest. We really didn’t anticipate that headline when we first started collaborating with Metacore, Europe’s fastest-growing gaming company and makers of the hit mobile game Merge Mansion.

Merge Mansion is a mobile game with 40M+ players and a cult-like Internet following. Behind its success is a compelling combination of merge puzzles, home renovation, and gardening. But the not-so-secret sauce that tops it all off is the game’s storyline featuring family drama, a ton of knives, and secretive Grandma Ursula.

Our creative studio partnered with Metacore to take its already proven recipe for success and leverage it to the next level of pop culture fame – by adding a spoonful of true crime, a pinch of detective story tropes, and one Internet darling du jour.

Pedro Pascal is the star of the two hottest shows in the world right now, The Last of Us and The Mandalorian – and starting today also Merge Mansion’s latest commercials, where he steps into the boots of hard-boiled detective Tim Rockford who is faced with the most challenging case of his career. The trio of films (the final two of which will be released in the upcoming days) are produced by Bacon Films, directed by Martin Werner, and designed by Reaktor. 

“Working with Pedro was, of course, a great privilege, but the true stars of this campaign have been the good people of Metacore who handed us a dream brief and trusted us with the next chapter of the Merge Mansion brand. It’s not just detective Tim Rockford, I think this has been a career-defining case for everyone involved,” says Jan Sederlöf, Creative Director at Reaktor.

“We are extremely lucky to have found such a perfect co-star opposite Grandma Ursula to try to find out what she’s hiding. The campaign is sure to captivate our existing fans, and hopefully rake in a lot of new ones,” says Sandra Fenyo, VP of Brand Marketing at Metacore.

But that’s not all!

In true Grandma Ursula fashion, we don’t want to spill the beans just yet but suffice it to say we’ve cooked up even more Merge Mansion deliciousness ready to be served later this month.

Stay tuned!