Verizon Made an Unbreakable Controller for Angry Gamers Who Don't Have Fios

Gaming can be competitive, but above all it’s emotional. And nothing stirs the hottest, most primitive emotions in gaming like laggy internet. It can make the split-second difference between success and failure.

Rage quits are real. The hardware casualties sacrificed to this monster of grief are … incalculable.

To promote its service, dubbed best internet for gaming by PCMag, Verizon Fios partnered with Nate Hill, a pro Fortnite gamer for FaZe Clan. In classic gamer style, they don’t promote the service directly; instead, they troll gamers who don’t have it.

We give you the Unbreakable Controller.

There is something cathartic about watching fellow FaZe Clan members have at it in the most dramatic ways they can imagine—with bats, cars, even an earth-boring drill. It’s got to feel better than throwing your PC tower out the window, an act usually accompanied by the sinking feeling that you might need that again someday.

The controller was designed with a durable aluminum shell, and is surrounded by soft foam that absorbs impact. It was created in partnership with McCann and product designer Steven Brower of Brower Propulsion Laboratory, and its bright orange color is a direct mockery of the childlike tantrums that can possess a gamer when lag ruins everything.

The ad ends, “An unbreakable controller won’t solve your frustration. But Verizon Fios can.” It will be supported by deep dive editorial about the Unbreakable Controller in partnership with gaming websites like Kotaku, as well as with tech reviewers and other content creators, who will all get the chance to put the Unbreakable Controller to the test.

CREDITS

Verizon: 
Andrew McKechnie, SVP, Chief Creative Officer 
David Bowen, VP, Marketing Communications 
Colby Schneider, Director, Marketing Communications 
Olga Bermudez Paiva, Manager, Brand Creative 
Emily Plunkett Fleischer, Manager, Broadcast Production 

McCann NY Creative: 
Thomas Murphy, Co-Chief Creative Officer, North America 
Sean Bryan, Co-Chief Creative Officer, North America 
Matthew Curry, EVP, Deputy Chief Creative Officer 
Cristina Reina, SVP Executive Creative Director 
Alex Little, VP, Group Creative Director 
Karsten Jurkschat, SVP, Group Creative Director 
Rene Delgado, Associate Creative Director 
Colby Spear, Associate Creative Director  
Lerthon Theuma, Copywriter 
Joan Heo, Art Director 
LeAndra Langhorne, Copywriter 
Erika Casales, Art Director 

McCann NY Account: 
Dominic Whittles, EVP, Managing Director 
Liz Der, SVP, Executive Account Director 
Sue Han, SVP, Group Account Director 
Justin Perrelli, Account Director 
Jordan Hamilton, Account Supervisor 
Marguerite Daly, Account Supervisor 
Jessica Peterkins, Assistant Account Executive 

McCann NY Strategy: 
David Webster, EVP Executive Strategy Director 
Jennifer Peterson, SVP Executive Strategy Director 
Beth Windheuser, Senior Strategist 
Whitney Alexander, VP Strategy Director Social and Mobile 

McCann NY Production:  
Nathy Aviram, Chief Production Officer 
John McAdorey, SVP Executive Producer 
Brian Collins, Producer 
Laura Kellerman, Producer 
Jeannette Subero, Senior Innovation Producer 
Christine Lane, SVP Director of Innovation 
Amber Briscoe, Senior Innovation Producer 
Mihae Mukaida, Senior Innovation Producer 

McCann NY Project Management: 
Anne Denny, Project Management Director 
Holly McNally, Associate Project Manager 
Eliza Butts, Project Manager 

CRAFT Production: 
Theodore McFail, Digital Producer 
David Lillis, Tech Lead Display Ads 
Rich Goldstein, Executive Digital Producer 
Faiza Islam, Senior QA Engineer 
Puneet Oberoi, QA Engineer 
Jeffery Feder, Senior Developer 
Joseph Goldstein, QA Engineer 

McCann Business Managers: 
Anna Owens, Junior Business Manager  

Editorial: No6 Editorial & Finishing: 
Editor: Ryan Bukowski 
Assistant Editor: Alyce Muhammad 
Producer: Charlotte Delon 
Head of Production: Laura Molinaro 
Executive Producer: Corina Dennison 
Senior Flame Artist: Ed Skupeen 
Finishing Producer: Mark Reyes 

Audio Post: Sonic Union 
Mix Engineer: Brian Goodheart 
Producer: Nathanael Taylor 
Studio Director: Justine Cortale 

Brower Propulsion Laboratory R&D 
Steven Brower, Founder 

Photography: Giant Artists 
Photographer: Jessica Pettway 
Agent: Dana Eudy 
Producer: Lynda Goldstein 

BTS Video Production: MMXX 
Videographer: David Siev 

Media Agency: VM1 

Influencer Agency: Captiv8  

Packaging Production: Utley’s Inc.  

Talent Partner: FaZe Clan 

Branded Content: Kotaku