Pedro Pascal, star of The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, has officially been given his toughest role yet: solving the mysteries of Merge Mansion, and the crimes of kindly Grandma, Ursula Boulton. In a new ad campaign for the hit mobile game, the star is seen investigating the Boulton family, describing them as the typical ‘apple pie’ American family – only with a hint of bloody murder.
Merge Mansion has gone viral in recent years, thanks to its high budget, frequently over-the-top advertising campaigns. The game is fairly simple – players work through mysteries by renovating and upgrading mansion grounds in merge puzzles – but it’s managed to develop a passionate, mainstream following thanks to clever marketing and addictive gameplay.
Read: The Last of Us: Cast and Character Guide
On Instagram, frequent ads for Merge Mansion feature intriguing tidbits and snippets of the game’s mystery plot. In a typical ad, Grandma Ursula is caught doing something extremely strange, like covering up a mansion hole with wallpaper, or being arrested by the cops.
Each ad typically ends on a strange, haunting statement: ‘He is alive.’
What that means is up to players to discover – or, in this case, Pedro Pascal. In the game’s latest ad campaign, he’s seen poring over a room full of clues, trying to decipher the Boulton family’s terrifying secrets. He has only one conclusion: ‘It’s almost like some twisted game.’
According to GameSpot, this advertising campaign will tie into a new game update, set for 28 March 2023, as well as a real-life activation.
The game’s developer, Metacore, is reportedly set to transform the Paramour Estate, a hotel in Los Angeles, United States, to resemble the Boulton family mansion, with an escape room, interactive theatre and ‘lore museum’ experience set to launch shortly. Details of this event are currently unknown, but Pascal will reportedly be involved in some capacity.
Stay tuned for more news from Metacore, as the next chapter of Merge Mansion launches. While you wait, you can catch Pedro Pascal starring in new episodes of The Mandalorian on Disney+, and The Last of Us on Binge and HBO Max.
