Nightmare Fuel

Gamers spend all day playing Diablo while awake. But what if they dreamed about Diablo too? Blizzard Entertainment is launching a campaign that will let fans play and win while they slumber. Developed in partnership with VCCP US and renowned Dream Researcher Dr. Leslie Ellis, it will insert the world of Diablo into participants’ dreams… or nightmares. A dream researcher, Dr. Ellis believes that people can master a nightmare, an underlying principle of this new effort.

“Nightmare Fuel” allows fans to immerse themselves in the dualistic and epic landscapes of Diablo IV as they sleep. Gamers can listen to this audio experience in its entirety while they sleep. Lasting about eight hours in total, it begins with a dream incubation period that runs for 15-20 minutes, designed to serve as a guided induction and space for intention setting. The audio then moves into a four- to five-hour transition loop, settling people into sleep with soundscapes of a Diablo nature and audio from Diablo IV. The subsequent two to three hours align with REM sleep, including audio cues to induce lucid dreaming. The final three to five minutes will begin the wake-up process gently.

Rather than presenting nightmares as passive horror shows, Diablo is integrating innovative tools to empower dreamers. By gamifying the dream landscape, the game empowers players to become the heroes of their own stories. The audio experience is designed to assist listeners in achieving a state of lucid dreaming, empowering them to become the heroes of their Diablo dreams. The flow of the audio was shaped by Dr. Ellis’ studies around how to control and master nightmares.