NRG wants to prove that esports and gaming properties can drive real-world interest in Hollywood films and TV — and the company is partnering with the upcoming “Resident Evil” film to prove it.
Tomorrow, Sept. 12, the esports organization is hosting an immersive narrative activation inspired by Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” film at the NRG Spectrum Castle, NRG’s event space in Downtown Los Angeles. With a themed scavenger hunt, carnival-style games, and a dedicated screening area, the event is intended to be a special preview of the “Resident Evil” world ahead of the film’s September 18 release.
NRG has a broad history of using its Los Angeles venue for in-person brand activations with advertisers like Intel, Spectrum, and Rockstar Energy. Tomorrow’s event represents the company’s first foray into live events supporting film or television releases, according to NRG director of business development Hauk Nelson, who said in an interview with GamesBeat that he intends for the “Resident Evil” event to showcase NRG’s impact in the world of film and TV.
“There’s so many different gaming IPs that are making their way into Hollywood right now, whether it’s the Fallout Amazon TV show or this Resident Evil movie,” Nelson said. “IT just makes a lot of sense to get into that space, because these film distributors are looking for people to go buy tickets at AMC, and they’re starting to work more with gaming creators and gaming properties to hopefully drive ticket sales.”
Working with film and television IP holders is NRG’s latest expansion in strategy following the organization’s acquisition by DarkZero in December 2025. Nelson said the acquisition had helped streamline NRG’s business activity over the past year, noting that the organization was benefiting from business relationships with other companies in DarkZero’s portfolio, such as the esports merchandise company Raven.GG.
Although in-person events inherently reach fewer people than campaigns across social media or digital platforms, Nelson said he believed IRL activations were becoming increasingly impactful during a media moment in which artificial intelligence is muddying the water of what digital content is and is not real. For tomorrow’s “Resident Evil” activation, NRG is using a hybrid approach by complementing the in-person experience with digital content like a series of TikToks, with the event’s guest list including a number of NRG creators and other creators from the horror, gaming, and entertainment spaces.
“We’re getting closer to the point where people are getting really spooked by what they’re seeing on their social feed,” Nelson said. “Everyone is running bots to fake engagement on stuff; on top of that, everyone is also running bots to crawl social media and train their AI models. So, it just feels like everything is fake, and in-person is the last bastion of proving anything is real anymore.”
Moving forward, Nelson said NRG plans to double down on IRL events, particularly at the NRG Castle, both in partnership with film and TV properties like “Resident Evil” and with fandoms like the trading card game community. He said the intent of the “Resident Evil” activation is to provide a “case study” for NRG’s ability to drive real-life ticket sales.
“On the consumer side, I think we’re seeing a big push with older Gen Z and younger millennials to stop doomscrolling — how to go outside and touch grass,” Nelson said. “I think that’s a big reason why things like trading card games are really taking off, because it’s a great way to go meet folks in-person.”