Microsoft took over the LED display in Las Vegas’ giant Sphere Arena to create an Xbox-themed light show that dominated the city’s skyline.
Las Vegas Sphere has contributed its fair share of blockbuster moments since its inaugural show in July, lighting up the 580,000-square-foot “Exosphere” with a stunning light show. Since then, the most powerful billboard on Earth has displayed a multitude of scenes to astonish and annoy the residents of the major Nevada city.
It was right to showcase the power of dreams here #Power_of_your_dreams #XboxSphere pic.twitter.com/ToXr2o72d4
— Xbox (@Xbox) October 20, 2023
Among the visual displays were a menacing pumpkin, a stunning fireworks display, a basketball, and of course a wide, unsettling human eye. Meanwhile, the interior is capable of seating approximately 20,000 people and is designed to host live music performances and extensive audio-visual performances.
The Xsphere has arrived #Power_of_your_dreams pic.twitter.com/gp8sqGf9JF
– Jeff Rubenstein (@jeffrubenstein) October 20, 2023
Earlier this week, Microsoft became the latest company to harness the impressive advertising power of Sphere to execute an Xbox advertising campaign of epic proportions, which showcased a host of current and upcoming first- and third-party titles, along with the Series S keyboards. Starfield and Forza Motorsport both featured prominently on the Exosphere screen, as did Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077.
When I first saw the ball I said this would be really good for Xbox ads. It’s basically the logo, why wouldn’t it be? But I never thought they would do that.
This is great marketing. I love him.1 https://t.co/Iz4nDM4o9Z
– Gavin Stevens 🍕 (@GTS_Tweets) October 20, 2023
The Sphere in Las Vegas is Cyberpunk tonight thanks to Xbox. 🤩 Video games are cool! pic.twitter.com/dv85DZkz5w
– Radek 🕹️ TwitchCon (@gamebowski) October 20, 2023
Tonight’s spectacle at TwitchCon Xbox Mixer featuring Vegas Sphere #Starfield 🚀 pic.twitter.com/M41PRSks5T
– Cammy 🔙 @TwitchCon (@CAMIF0RNIAA) October 20, 2023
The lighthearted bid came on the heels of Microsoft’s troubled but ultimately successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard after a lengthy legal battle with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which had previously sought to block the deal for fear it could hurt competitiveness in cloud gaming.
It also coincided with the launch of Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, and the TwitchCon 2023 event in North America, which is currently taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center a few miles from the Sphere.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. He has over eight years of experience covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and has absolutely no time to fool you. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
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