In July, a UK couple’s homemade GTA VI contract went viral: the deal guaranteed unlimited playtime for one and banned interruptions or uttering “it’s just a game” for the other. Finnish retailer Gigantti and creative agency SEK took the idea and made it official. The Grand Game Deal is a real, signable gaming peace agreement for the 19 November launch of the decade’s biggest game.

In many homes, the most anticipated game launch in years also comes with the most anticipated argument. Who controls the TV? Who walks the dog and does the dishes? And how long, exactly, is “just one more mission”? Gigantti’s answer: put it in writing.

Anyone can now generate their own version of the meme deal on the Grand Game Deal website. The steps are simple:

Choose a difficulty level, from Easy (launch day) to Hard (a full month). Then, negotiate the clauses: who handles household chores, which phrases are banned mid-mission, and what the non-playing party gets in return. Finally, make the deal official: print it, sign it, stick it on the fridge. Finnish gaming creators are leading by example, with more creator content rolling out before launch.

The meme found its audience fast. In the first two weeks, the campaign site drew nearly 35,000 visitors and more than 5,000 deals were drafted in a country of 5.6 million. Nearly nine in ten negotiated a week or more of peaceful gaming time, with 44% going straight for Hard mode: a month of gaming peace, payable in chores. The deal is only valid in Finland, but PR work has carried it across four continents, from gaming to news media in Italy, Austria, South Africa and Taiwan.

“The internet wrote the brief for us. People were already signing these contracts as a joke, so we made the joke official. It’s a somewhat legally valid agreement, which turns out to be exactly valid enough,” says Samuel Räikkönen, Creative Director at SEK.

“Every big game launch gets the same retail ad: pre-order now. We wanted Gigantti to solve a real problem: it’s not about getting the game, it’s getting permission to play it,” says Sami Särkelä, Head of Marketing & Communications at Gigantti.

“We expected most people to play it safe on Easy level deal. Instead, almost half went straight for Hard. Finns clearly take both their games and their negotiations seriously.”

Until 15 November, everyone in Finland who uploads a signed deal gets a code for 10% off normal-priced gaming accessories at Gigantti and enters a draw for a PS5 with a copy of GTA VI. After that, the prizes end but the dealmaking doesn’t: anyone can keep negotiating and drafting their own deal at grandgamedeal.com. Vice City opens for business on the 19th.

 

CREDITS: 

Client: Gigantti
Sami Särkelä, Head of Marketing and Communications
Rita Pasanen, Communications Manager

Agency: SEK | Part of Grey
Samuel Räikkönen, Creative Director
Laura Syväniemi, Lead Creative
Enoma Edevbaro, Head of Social
Noora Eskola, Senior Social Creative
Tuomas Mäkinen, PR (Content Specialist)
Anne Laiho, PR (Communications Consultant)
Paula Sonne, Head of PR
Inka Kosonen, Project Director
Jarno Luotonen, Executive Creative Director