Earlier this year, fantasy action roleplaying game Elden Ring swung big in the promotion department, with several television commercials starring well known actors and sports people.

The Callisto Protocol has picked up the same bat.

Callisto's two main characters are voiced by and also use the appearance of Josh Duhamel (Transformers) and Karen Fukushima (The Boys) so they're not just hiring famous faces to front the game.

Like the trailer, this commercial is extremely impressive.

But how does it relate to Avatar?

Amidst widespread speculation about Avatar: The Way of Water's projected performance and analyses of why it could do better or also possibly worse than the original, two thoughts occurred to us which we haven't seen anyone touch on.

Avatar is one of the few films we saw more than once at a cinema but there are two reasons we're fairly certain we wouldn't the sequel.

First is streaming.

Whether it will follow the normal pattern of coming to Disney+ 6 weeks post cinematic release isn't certain, but it will come.

If you're laying down money for one or more subscriptions like this, that's a consideration which many people would factor into a decision to see it again on the big screen.

Second is visual effects.

Earlier films like the Star Wars prequels and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within had employed motion-capture - transposing actor movements and facial expressions onto animated characters - to impressive effect, but Avatar was the first title to truly sell that technology.

It was almost a little bit like wizardry.

Thirteen years later it still looks real but is no longer in a league of its own.

Showcasing the power of Unreal Engine 5, The Callisto Protocol is right up there with it and the technology might be even more impressive when the characters are human and direct comparisons like the above can be made.

Whether or not you buy or play the game, commercials like this will be widely seen and we expect it to also be a popular choice for streamers.

The Callisto Protocol launches on December 2 on PC, Xbox One and X|S, and PlayStation 4 and 5.

Avatar: The Way of Water premieres in Australian cinemas on December 15.

[ Main Image: Josh Duhamel - Render v Real. Credit: Krafton via Twitter. ]

References

Gamespot (November 25, 2022). The Callisto Protocol Live Action TV Spot Trailer (Red Band). YouTube.

Robbins, Shawn (November 8, 2022). Long Range Box Office Forecast: James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Box Office Pro.

The Game Awards [@thegameawards] (November 24, 2022). Simulation vs reality of actor Josh Duhamel. Twitter.