A decade-old rivalry between two WWE Superstars just became a month-long scavenger hunt for millions of mobile gamers.
Clash of Clans is teaming up with WWE for the second time, and this round centers on Cody Rhodes' hunt for John Cena's hidden in-game village.
The hunt has no map and no shortcut, and players can only find Cena by raiding more often.
This is the behavior that Supercell needs to sell six one-time-only WWE Hero Skins before the event closes on October 1.
The two wrestlers have played Clash of Clans for years, and their gaming history predates anything that's happened between them in the ring.
Rhodes opens the search to every Clash of Clans player on September 1.
And fellow WWE Superstars are hunting Cena's base alongside them during daily raids.
Cena addressed the challenge directly.
"People think this started in the ring with Cody. It didn't. It started when I out-raided him in the game, and he threw me off his team," Cena said.
"Ten years later, he still needs help. This time he's asking millions of you to take on my base. That's fine. As I have always said — if you want some, come get some."
The Undertaker and IYO SKY are among the Superstars rallying their own fanbases to help track him down, widening a two-player feud into a group effort across WWE's roster.
Players who successfully raid Cena's base earn a one-time-only Cody Rhodes statue for their village.
But be warned, the press release notes his base won't play like a rookie's.
This isn't Clash of Clans' first match with WWE.
The earlier "Clashamania" push, made with DAVID NY, generated millions of views ahead of the WrestleMania 41 broadcast.
It also included a hero spot that topped 2.6 million YouTube views on its own.
That was the crossover where we saw Rhodes cast as Barbarian King for the first time, making him a playable Clash hero.
The Hunt Inside the Game
The Cena storyline is just one piece of the campaign.
Supercell also pulled six of WWE's biggest names onto the game's hero roster.
WWE Superstars get reimagined as Clash of Clans Hero characters:
- Cody Rhodes as Barbarian King
- Alexa Bliss as Archer Queen
- The Undertaker as Grand Warden
- IYO SKY as Royal Champion
- Jey Uso as Minion Prince
- Kane as Dragon Duke
Apart from the character overhaul, the event adds temporary troops and a branded village theme tied to WWE Money in the Bank in New Orleans.
The show runs on October 10, nine days after the Clash event shuts down.
Five of the six Hero Skins sell for $9.99 each, and Uso's comes with the Gold Pass.
WWE chests scattered through the game hold returning rewards like Action Figure Equipment, alongside Challenge Tickets and a guaranteed Cody Rhodes skin.
The brand partnership gives players and wrestling fans more incentive to check in daily, whether or not they ever find Cena's base.
Rivalry Is a Retention Mechanic
WWE has said its audience already plays.
Then-chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon told investors in 2022 that more than 80% of the WWE audience self-identifies as gamers.
She added that close to 60% of gaming audiences overall are 34 or younger.
Meanwhile, mobile gaming pulled in roughly $103 billion last year, more than console and PC combined.
This overlap gives WWE and Supercell an audience they both already sell to.
Three details here are worth copying:
- Give the reward a reason to bring players back daily: Cena's base is tied to raid outcomes, so finding him means logging in every day for a month.
- Build on existing storylines within the media canon: Cena and Rhodes had a real decade of competition on record before Clash of Clans made either of them a playable hero, giving the narrative depth and authenticity.
- Reward the search itself: WWE chests appear throughout the event regardless of whether a raid lands on Cena's base, so players who never find him still leave with something.
Keep in mind that most partnerships stall because nobody stress-tests the reward past launch week.
Our Take: Why Turn a Brand Partnership Into a Game?
Most licensing deals hand the audience a costume and call it a partnership.
We think the Cena hunt clears this bar, since every WWE element in the game has a job in the daily loop.
The story asks players to raid, which is what Supercell wants from the players anyway.
This tried-and-tested structure gives every WWE character and branded element a job outside of simply appearing in the game.
It's a practical reminder that an IP integration should be designed around participation over exposure.
Campaigns like this one take teams who understand game design as well as media buying.
Check out thesetop digital marketing agenciesin our directory.
