Reframing The Battle Cats’ image through traditional Japanese artistry and bold campaign storytelling
About the project
To celebrate the 12th anniversary of the popular mobile game The Battle Cats, we reimagined the brand with a bold new narrative — uncovering the strategic depth behind its quirky exterior. Drawing inspiration from the Sengoku era, we created “The Way of the Cat,” a campaign that fused traditional Japanese culture with contemporary game storytelling.
At the heart of the campaign was a six-panel folding screen (byōbu), handcrafted by a third-generation artisan and illustrated in collaboration with artist Segawa Thirty-Seven. I led the overall art direction for the byōbu’s visual concept, design, and production, as well as the campaign’s OOH rollout. The byōbu showcased iconic in-game characters reimagined as warlords, immortalizing over 100 battle strategies in a striking visual format.
The screen became a key visual for metro station takeovers, large-scale outdoor ads, and two retro-style TV commercials promoting the campaign’s new Sengoku-themed game stage — inviting both loyal fans and new players to dive deeper into the lore and tactics of The Battle Cats.
Result
The campaign successfully shifted public perception of the game, positioning it as more than just “cute.” Paid users grew by 130%, and revenue rose by 161%, marking the highest performance in the game’s 12-year history.