Gears 5, the latest chapter of Xbox and The Coalition’s mega popular Gears of War franchise, continues to evolve the game with a new, female protagonist and a renewed focus on character-led drama and captivating storytelling. Kait Diaz is a conflicted hero torn between her loyalty to her squad and a mysterious pull to her sworn enemy.To spotlight our new hero in advance of the launch of Gears 5, 'The Chain,' an action-driven piece from 215 McCann, follows Kait on a journey both intensely epic and personal, as she battles obstacles both real and imagined. The piece is driven by the Fleetwood Mac classic, ‘The Chain,' covered by Evanescence lead vocalist, Amy Lee. Amy and Xbox have redefined the classic song to embody the dark threat of Kait’s abuser, the evil Queen Myrrah, calling out and threatening her. As Kait nears the end of the journey in the spot, she stands, revs her Lancer, and fights back against her abuser. The lyrics help drive the narrative, as each line corresponds with the chaotic journey Kait is experiencing, both in the desert and in her own mind."I’m proud to lend my voice to this reimagining of 'The Chain' for Gears 5. I was drawn to the story of Kait overcoming fear and standing up to fight. Her story of breaking out with her own voice is most definitely one I relate to," said Amy Lee.In addition, Gears Ink: Inking LA was introduced as a live-tattooed OOH installation promoting the launch of Gears 5. To the fans of Gears of War, the franchise is more than just a series of video games. In fact, the stories and characters of Gears mean so much to fans, many of them choose to brand their flesh forever with Gears of War ink and tattoos. But, since the canvas for these tattoos is literally the human body, typically they can only be shown off in a close-up, one-to-one, or small group setting. To celebrate the launch of Gears 5, Xbox wanted to showcase this hardcore love for the game, on the biggest stage possible. So, instead of giving a fan a tattoo, Xbox gave the city of Los Angeles some Gears Ink of its own. Xbox and 215 McCann partnered with Hollywood fabricators to create a canvas of synthetic human skin that could be tattooed by real tattoo needles, just like actual human flesh.For three days, in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, master tattoo artist Steve Soto and his crew from Goodfellas Tattoo Studio, worked eight hours a day to live-tattoo this large installation. At the end of the three days, Steve and his team put the finishing touches on a Gears of War tattoo that LA could wear with pride, just like thousands of other Gears fans. The campaign is a continuation of the “Bound By Blood” campaign, which 215 McCann launched at E3, and currently running globally on paid media. It includes TV, Cinema, Digital, OOH, Social, PR, and this live tattoo installation. CreditsTitle: The ChainProduct: Gears 5Client: MicrosoftSr. Director, Xbox Global Marketing Communications: Taylor SmithSr. Brand Manager, Gears of War: Nicole FawcetteBrand Manager, Gears of War: Hailey GellerAgency: 215 McCannChief Creative Officer: Scott DuchonCreative Director: Brad MeyersACD/Copywriter: Mat BunnellArt Director: Zach LepineDirector of Integrated Production: Mandi HoldorfProducer: Christine HurtyDirector of Business Affairs: Mary Beth BarneyBusiness Director: Peter GoldsteinAccount Director: Patrick MeeleyAccount Supervisor: Ben Blaska Assistant Account Executive: Dylan WilliamsDirector of Strategy: Brian WakabayashiStrategy Director: Cassidy WilberSenior Strategist: Beth WindheuserPost Production Company: ElasticDesign Studio: ElasticCreative Director: Andy HallConcept Artists: Max Ulichney, Malia GoldmanAnimators: Curtis Back, Takayuki Sato, Julia WrightEditors: Rachel Fowler, Jessica LedouxVFX Supervisor: Andy McKennaHead of 3D: Kirk Shintani2D VFX Artists: Adam Flynn, Kevin Stokes, Dan Ellis3D Artists: Tim Kadowaki, Robert Spaniolo, Miguel Salek, Kevin Gillen, Joao Rosa, Alejandro Castro, Quinton Woodson, Michael Relth, Bryan Cox, Derek Friesenborg, Dustin Mellum, Joe Paniagua, Jose Limon, Ian Ruhfass, Ariana Ziae-Mohseni, Josh Dyer, Colton SmrzPost Production Support: Shane HoffmanOnline Editors: James Buongiorno Visualization Supervisors: Jourdan Biziou, Steven LoVisualization Artists: Edward Perry Smith, Tom Mulhall, Ty HarmonAssociate Production Manager: Emmi NakagawaVisualization Executive Producer: Christopher EdwardsSenior Producer: Paul MakowskiProducer: Adam GoinsCoordinator: Megan RodriguezPitch Producer: Meredith CherniackExecutive Producer: Luke Colson Head of Production: Kate Berry Managing Director: Jennifer Sofio Hall Music Production: WalkerMusic by: Walker Executive Producer: Sara MatarazzoExecutive Producer: Stephanie PigottProducer: Danielle Soury Engineer: Chris NungaryArrangement: Bobby TahouriVocal Performance: Amy LeeRecording Studio: Lime StudiosRohan Young: Sound Design and MixJeremy Nichols: Audio AssistantSusie Boyajan: Executive ProducerAdditional Sound Design: Jafbox SoundSound Designer: Joseph FraioliGameplay + Game SFX Supplier: The CoalitionTitle: Gears Ink: Inking LAProduct: Gears 5Client: MicrosoftSr. Director, Xbox Global Marketing Communications: Taylor SmithSr. Brand Manager, Gears of War: Nicole FawcetteBrand Manager, Gears of War: Hailey GellerAgency: 215 McCannChief Creative Officer: Scott DuchonCreative Director: Brad MeyersACD/Copywriter: Mat BunnellArt Director: Zach LepineDirector of Integrated Production: Mandi HoldorfProducer: Christina ChinDirector of Business Affairs: Mary Beth BarneyBusiness Director: Peter GoldsteinAccount Director: Patrick MeeleyAccount Supervisor: Ben BlaskaAssistant Account Executive: Dylan WilliamsDirector of Strategy: Brian WakabayashiStrategy Director: Cassidy WilberSenior Strategist: Beth WindheuserEditor: Taylor ReifurthSet Fabrication + Installation: Traction 3D / Standard SceneryExecutive Producer: Bryan RobertsDP: Chris StoneSet Fabrication: Steve EschenbaughArtists: Goodfellas Tattoo StudioTattoo Artist: Steve SotoTattoo Assistant: Luis SotoTattoo Assistant: Gabe LuquinTattoo Assistant: Joseph SolanoComposer: Alex Sargent