Entertainment Lions For Sport: Clash of Clans and Erling Haaland Take Top Spot

DAVID, New York took the Grand Prix prize for the Entertainment Lion for Sport with its work for Clash of Clans. ‘Haaland Payback Time’ saw Premier League striker Erling Haaland - one of the most prolific attackers in the sporting world and self-proclaimed fan - become the first real-life person to feature in the game in the hopes of enticing new players. 

With being a prolific striker comes a fleet of haters; ‘Haaland Payback Time’ gave his haters the chance to get their revenge for the times he’d inevitably scored against their team, by giving them the opportunity to destroy his village he’d been building for over 10 years. 

Jimmy Smith, Chairman, CEO and chief creative officer, Amusement Park Entertainment, and President of the Jury, comments: “The makers of Clash of Clans were rewarded for their bravery by partnering with Erling Haaland. The fan engagement had to have made its competitors cry, as the number of downloads was well into the double-digit millions. ‘Payback Time’ effortlessly pulled all of the right levers of gaming, sport, celebrity and entertainment. So effortlessly, in fact, there was no Clash of Jurors. The Jury chose Clash of Clans’s ‘Payback Time’ for the Cannes Lions Grand Prix on the very first vote!”

The challenge saw over 34 million players take part and an overall increase of Clash of Clan players by 150 per cent.

Five Gold Lions were awarded; Area 23’s ‘KYIKATEJÊ’; Havas Paris and Paris 2024’s ‘Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Paris 2024’; Fanatics, New York’ ‘Signed by Fanatics’; and Bigtime Creative Shop, Riyadh with ‘The 4th Judge’ and ‘Obsession’. 

Stay tuned throughout the week and keep up to date with our Cannes Lions 2025 coverage.