"Hidden in Plain Sight"

11 June 2026

60s

Stuck on repeat.

In March, cryptocurrency platform Coinbase released a commercial inspired by low-poly graphics and the behaviour of non-playable characters (NPCs). The brand's latest spot abandons that Playstation/Nintendo 64/Sega Saturn look, but leans further into the idea that consumers have become little more than assets programmed and controlled by traditional banks.

As anyone who's people-watched in an open-world game before will know, NPCs stick to routines, schedules, and patterns. Sooner or later, they'll sit on a park bench, eat a hot dog, walk a loop of the whole neighbourhood, et cetera. In Coinbase and director Steve Rogers's loop-de-loop of a commercial, the cast stick to set paths that become more and more apparent. They might not question it, but viewers are encouraged to as a matter of urgency.

In a calculated move, the eyes are soon drawn to a cash-in-transit van that arrives and departs non-stop, loaded with sweet, sweet moolah. The audience is meant to feel it's their money being taken like clockwork, by a system that would much rather keep things the way they are. Viewers are meant to feel like they've outsmarted it... or at least graduated to main character status in the crypto game.

USA

Financial Services