Faker and Karina Google Play Ad Campaign Released as Five-Part PLAY ON PLAY Series

Google Korea released the Faker Karina Google Play advertising campaign “PLAY ON PLAY” on May 15, 2026, featuring professional gamer Faker, also known as Lee Sang-hyeok, and Karina of aespa in a five-part short-form video series. The campaign promotes Google Play Games, including the ability to continue mobile games on larger screens such as PCs and tablets, along with Google Play Points benefits.¹

The release followed a May 7 teaser from Google Korea Blog, which announced the collaboration, identified the campaign as a short-form series, and set May 15, 2026, as the full release date.² Coverage from Korean entertainment, gaming, and business outlets also framed the project as a crossover between esports, K-pop, and mobile gaming promotion, with the campaign centered on short-form advertising rather than one conventional commercial.³

Faker Karina Ad Campaign Released

페이커 카리나 광고 Seoul gaming campaign concept

The “PLAY ON PLAY” campaign presents Faker and Karina in repeated encounters across ordinary urban spaces. Google Korea’s full-release post describes the series as a campaign about the enjoyment of games, using familiar settings to connect the two public figures through gaming.¹

The campaign consists of five short-form clips. The listed settings include a library, bus stop, subway, PC room, and cafe, with the two appearing in everyday scenes where gaming serves as the recurring link.¹ Sports Kyunghyang also reported on May 15 that the promotional videos show Faker and Karina enjoying games and meeting by chance in daily locations such as a library and bus stop.⁴

The available source material does not provide individual runtimes for the five released clips. What is confirmed is the structure: a series of short videos built around recurring meetings, ordinary locations, and a product message tied to mobile gameplay across different screens. That format places the ad closer to a serialized digital campaign than a single standalone television-style commercial.

The campaign’s casting brings together two public figures from different entertainment fields. Faker is identified in coverage as a professional gamer associated with T1, while Karina is identified as a member of aespa.⁵ The sources do not describe the campaign as a music release, esports event, or product launch beyond the Google Play advertising context.

What Google Play Is Promoting

The clearest product message in the campaign is Google Play’s connection between mobile gaming and larger-screen play. Google Korea says the campaign highlights Google Play Games, which allows mobile games to be continued on PCs and tablets, and also introduces Google Play Points benefits.¹

The campaign was directed by Dolphin Kidnappers, the production team named in Google Korea’s teaser and full-release posts.¹ The May 7 teaser presented the project as a collaboration involving Faker, Karina, and Dolphin Kidnappers, while previewing a story built around the appeal of games before the full release on May 15.²

Korea JoongAng Daily reported on May 8 that Google Play had announced the upcoming short-form video series starring Faker and Karina, citing the Google Play blog and noting the collaboration with Dolphin Kidnappers.³ ChosunBiz also reported that Google Play teased the series on May 8 and described the teaser as about 20 seconds long, with scenes involving a cherry blossom-lined street and a bus stop.⁵

Those teaser details help explain the setup without changing the campaign’s confirmed purpose. The preliminary materials drew attention to a meeting between the two stars, while the full campaign redirected that interest toward gaming and Google Play’s services. The sources support describing the ad as a promotional campaign for mobile gaming features and benefits, not as a personal story about either performer.

Promotion Around the Release

The campaign’s public rollout included both online video promotion and offline visibility. Sports Kyunghyang reported that campaign posters and a QR code promotion were being carried out in the Seongsu area through May 17, 2026.⁴ The source material does not specify additional offline locations beyond that report.

Inven reported that Google Play released an advertising teaser on May 8 featuring Faker and Karina, with the teaser title presented in Korean as a question about whom Faker had confessed to.⁶ The outlet also described the teaser as foregrounding Lee Sang-hyeok as a person rather than only the professional gamer known as Faker.⁶ Because the full campaign is now released, those teaser descriptions are best understood as part of the pre-release setup for the May 15 ad campaign.

The campaign’s confirmed timeline is narrow and clear. Google Korea previewed the short-form series on May 7, multiple outlets reported the teaser and upcoming release on May 8, and the full five-part “PLAY ON PLAY” campaign was released on May 15, 2026.¹²⁵

Faker Karina Google Play PLAY ON PLAY release mobile gaming trend

The Faker and Karina Google Play ad campaign is now available as a five-part “PLAY ON PLAY” short-form series. Based on the official and reported details, the campaign uses recurring everyday encounters, direction by Dolphin Kidnappers, and the combined visibility of Faker and Karina to promote Google Play Games and Google Play Points in Korea.