Those four symbols, the triangle, the X, the O and the square, will be familiar to every hand that has clutched a controller, furiously jostling with the player next to you as you perform an exceptional 360 on your snowboard, score a world-beating goal or simply help Crash Bandicoot to hop over a box.

The truth is that when you’re a child, the world is your playground; your imagination can transport you to realms of your own creation. But, as we grow older and our imaginations need a helping hand, that’s where PlayStation steps in. 

For the UK launch of the PS5, PlayStation worked with Red Consultancy and Transport for London (TfL) to take over Oxford Circus tube station for 48 hours, to transform the four Underground roundels into those four familiar controller shapes.

In a moment of British icon meets gaming icon, the integrated launch campaign captivated the media and players alike as PlayStation announced on Twitter, “From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #ps5 upgrade.”

The moment wasn’t lost however to also take a jibe at PlayStation’s rival as the stunt took place outside Microsoft’s Regent Street flagship store, after the company also launched their new Xbox console.

Alongside the Oxford Circus takeover, tube stations along the line will be renamed in honor of various games including Mile End becoming Miles End in a nod to Spider Man: Miles Morales. These rebrands will run until December.

This moment of brand activation is an ingenious use of shapes well known in popular culture to demonstrate how sometimes a brand can communicate its identity just as powerfully through cultural imagery rather than words. As well as another compelling example of how outdoor installations are so successfully amplified via social. While we may not be on the tube, this campaign ensured the Tube and PlayStation made it onto our feeds.