News: Blizzard Transforms Snapchat with World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary AR Lenses

If the name Leroy Jenkins elicits a reaction from you, then you are old enough to remember the iconic title World of Warcraft from its heydey (whether or not you actually played the massively multiplayer online role-playing game).

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game and its re-release as World of Warcraft Classic, the game's publisher Blizzard has enlisted Snapchat to mix old tech with new via some interactive AR Lenses.

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Appearing in the AR carousel in the Snapchat app for iOS and Android across the US on Wednesday, the promotional Lens gives users the opportunity to morph their appearance into two classic characters from the game.

By tapping or swiping on the screen, users can choose between the two and, with the right facial expression, trigger an animation — either a celebratory toast of mead or a re-creation of the classic Leroy Jenkins meme. Users can also unlock the Lens via the Snapcode embedded below.

Another Lens is available through outdoor advertising for the game. Leveraging Snapchat's Marker technology, users can summon the villain Ragnaros, who is emblazoned across the ad.

For those who don't encounter the ad in the wild, the image below will suffice. In addition, once the experience is unlocked, users can share it with a friend by holding up the image target that appears on their camera view.

Snapchat's image recognition trigger has become popular with advertisers because of its ability to mix Snapchat's 3D effects with traditional 2D advertising. The NBA, Nike, Doggystyle Records, Snap Originals, and HBO are among the brands taking advantage of the technology to transform billboards, banners, and poster into immersive experiences.

In addition to the growing selection of Landmarker targets that can turn famous buildings into canvases for virtual branded experiences, Snapchat is poised to cover the outside world in AR advertising, too.