COINBASE | Your Way Out | 2026
No CGI at All. The Madness of Building a Game World in Live Action / Coinbase "Your Way Out"
During the live broadcast of the Academy Awards, the screen was interrupted by a blocky, low-poly town. As NPCs wander back and forth, one man struggles to break free from the system and runs toward reality. This has zero CGI. It's all live action.
The problem
Coinbase needed to reach beyond its label as "a crypto exchange" and connect with people who feel disillusioned. In an era when AI is said to be taking jobs, in a world where the path upward isn't visible, everyone keeps running the same loop of commuting, working, and consuming. The main character is an NPC, trapped in a system he didn't build and can't control.
The insight
The word "NPC" has become slang among Gen Z right now for "someone living on autopilot." By borrowing a word that everyone can instantly grasp, they delivered an existential story wrapped in a joke. As Laurie Howe, co-founder of Isle of Any, put it: "Life feels like a game, and sometimes it feels like someone else is holding the controller." That's exactly it.
The idea
The whole thing is live action, with no CGI whatsoever. Using printed fabric suits and pixelated sets, they built the look of a video game entirely in-camera. Extras were trained to walk like NPCs, and their costumes were painted and weighted to move with a blocky, awkward wobble. As the story progresses, small details of reality are gradually added in, so you feel the change rather than being shown it. VFX was limited to things like tracking arrows and miniature compositing—everything else is the real thing, right in front of the camera.
What happened
At Cannes Lions 2026, it won the Grand Prix in the Film Craft category. Jury president Pip Smart commented on the depth of craft and originality, particularly praising the direction. The setting depicted is the 98th Academy Awards.
Afterthought
At a time when craft is being reconsidered as a reaction against AI, this is a story about escaping a synthetic world, made entirely by human hands. That twist itself is what gives "Your Way Out" its power. I have to admit, it got me.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2026
Featured in
- Opening Shop Inside the GameHow do you step into a world where someone else is already lost in play?
