This collaboration, dreamed up by the folk at Activision (Call of Duty’s Developer) is genius, not necessarily for the fact that they used a global soccer icon to promote a video game, but in the manner in which the message was delivered.

Timing is everything. For Pogba, who has been the subject of transfer speculation since he returned to Manchester United in 2016, the manner in which this announcement was delivered took advantage of this ongoing speculation around his real-world future. 

Furthermore, Pogba has previously fuelled the speculation with comments in the media and references to a ‘new chapter’ and his agent was been highly vocal about Pogba’s desire to move on throughout the summer transfer window.

No doubt that after a 30 seconds of reading this, outsiders to the world of Call of Duty, realised that this was indeed a fictional team, and that Pogba would remain in Manchester, at least for another season.

This collab is most significant in that it highlights the blurring boundaries across sports and gaming, and the creativity that can come from combining the two.

Extra Reads

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattgardner1/2020/08/12/call-of-duty-warzone-season-5-signs-french-soccer-star-paul-pogba/?sh=9038d8a2e0b4

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-08-12-paul-pogba-just-gave-man-u-fans-a-heart-attack-by-announcing-hes-signed-for-call-of-duty-warzones-verdansk-fc