The year 2023 marks the entry of gaming and metaverse in the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which is slated to be held in France from June 19 to 23.

A new category “Entertainment Lion for Gaming” has been introduced this year with an aim to celebrate creative work that connects people to brands through gameplay.

Organizers announced, “Entries will need to demonstrate how brands successfully tapped into complex gaming communities and seamlessly added real value to the overall gaming experience while driving commercial success.”

Opening the doors to the buzzy Metaverse as well, the organizers have expanded the category of “New Realities and Emerging Tech”. The use of Metaverse has been defined as ‘the creative application of immersive experiences which creatively push the boundaries of technology’.

The developments have come at a time when the gaming ecosystem with nearly three billion users is becoming more and more attractive for advertisers. An Accenture report estimated that the full value of the global gaming industry crossed $300 billion by 2021, more than the combined markets for movies and music, driven by a surge in mobile gaming.

Metaverse has also seen a massive increase in popularity in the last two years. With brands increasingly using metaverse with AR and VR to woo GenZ and Facebook rebranding itself as Meta, Bloomberg has projected the metaverse to be valued at $800 billion by 2024.

Industry experts hailed the move.

According to Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech Lead at WPP India, Head Of Mobile and Emerging Tech at GroupM India, "The inclusion of gaming and metaverse at Cannes Lions 2023 reflects the changing nature of the creative and advertising industries, and the importance of staying on top of emerging trends and technologies."

"Gaming and metaverse represent new frontiers for creative expression, engagement, and monetization. They offer new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers, create immersive experiences, and tell engaging stories. As the gaming and metaverse markets continue to grow, they are likely to have a significant impact on the advertising and creative industries."

Sharing his perspective for advertisers, Ruparel said: "Given gaming is one of the key applications of the metaverse, and it offers a wealth of opportunities for advertisers.
In the future, metaverse gaming is likely to become an even more significant part of the entertainment landscape, and advertisers will have the opportunity to reach a large and engaged audience through these virtual worlds. Advertisers can create branded experiences, such as virtual product placements or branded games, that allow consumers to interact with their products in a fun and engaging way. They can also use data and analytics to better understand consumer behavior and preferences, and tailor their advertising efforts to deliver more personalized and effective experiences."

Piyush Kumar, Founder and CEO, Rooter- Gaming and eSports content platform, says that we are excited to see how brands are creatively exploring this.

“Gaming and Metaverse getting the spotlight at Cannes Lions 2023, is a truly breakout moment for the $500 Bn Gaming industry and a testament to its growing popularity among brands, creators and consumers. Building gameplay into storytelling, is a great example of how synergies between gaming content and brand marketing can lead to memorable user experiences”, Kumar said.

Inclusion & diversity in focus

This year, entrants will be asked to provide information about the composition of the teams involved ‘behind the camera’ and their approach towards diversity and inclusion.

“This move builds on the objectification and harmful stereotypes criteria introduced in 2017 and will contribute to the ongoing partnerships by continuing to work closely with the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media, and the Unstereotype Alliance,” the organizers say.

The organizers however clarify that this information won’t be part of the written submission, and so won’t contribute towards judging. It is just aimed at measuring progress and the findings will be presented (anonymously) back to the industry in the form of an annual report.

Sustainability criteria

Starting this year, all entrants will be encouraged to provide information that outlines their C02 emissions as part of the production process, using AdNet Zero’s five-point Action Plan as a guide.

“This information is not compulsory and will not be used as part of the judging process. It will be used by LIONS to establish a benchmark of current practices,” the organizers clarify.

Changes in some Lions, CCO and CMO rankings

The Media Lions, B2B and Pharma Lions have undergone a refresh for 2023 with new criteria and addition of subcategories.

Besides, two new rankings-CCO and CMO- have been added to the Global Creativity Report for 2023. Both are based on points accumulated from the Lions Awards.

The Regional Network of the Year Award has been expanded from four regions to seven. EMEA will now be awarded across three regions: Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. APAC will be awarded across both Asia and Pacific. North America and Latin America will remain as in previous years.

It is noteworthy that year 2022 had turned out to be a gala affair for the Indian ad world which clocked its best performance thus far at the French Riveria. With five Grand Prix wins and first set of Titanium Lions, the Indian contingent got home a record 47 metals last year.