How one documentary from The B1M drove 100,000 Architects and Designers to Unreal Engine

The B1M’s Chief Revenue Officer, Liam Marsh, shares how a single documentary became the most impactful AEC campaign Epic Games has ever run — and why it changed the conversation around real-time 3D in architecture and construction.

Some stories don’t just capture attention, they reset an industry’s expectations.
When Epic Games partnered with The B1M to spotlight Unreal Engine within the AEC sector, the ambition was clear: show real-time 3D not as future tech, but as a present-day shift in how architects and construction teams think, design and deliver.

What happened next surpassed even their most optimistic forecasts.

The resulting documentary became the most successful AEC activation Unreal Engine has ever executed and the highest-click-through YouTube video in The B1M’s history. It drove more than 100,000 direct clicks to the Unreal Engine website and ignited global discussion on the future of design, visualisation and collaboration.

Here’s the inside story of how we made it happen.

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Client

Epic Games - Unreal Engine, the world’s leading real-time 3D creation platform powering everything from blockbuster films and AAA games to digital twins, architectural visualisation, simulation and cutting-edge AEC workflows.

Objective

Epic Games engaged The B1M to:

• Showcase Unreal Engine as a transformative tool for architects, visualisation teams and construction professionals
• Demonstrate real-time 3D within a high-profile, design-led AEC project
• Reach a global audience of decision-makers and practitioners
• Drive significant engagement and meaningful traffic to Unreal Engine’s platform
•  Position Unreal Engine as an essential part of the future AEC workflow

The brief was clear: make real-time 3D feel real, grounded in a project narrative with emotional and industry significance.

Approach

The B1M produced a premium long-form documentary centred on Safdie Architects’ “Project Hillside” - a contemporary evolution of the iconic Habitat 67. This gave us the perfect storytelling canvas: a world-renowned design lineage, a modern reinterpretation, and a technology pushing the boundaries of architectural imagination.

Our editorial approach combined:

• High-end cinematography capturing scale, form and visual intent
• Deep storytelling around Habitat 67’s legacy and its cultural impact
• Interviews with architects and designers using Unreal Engine daily 
• Real project assets and workflows shown inside Unreal Engine
• Visualisation sequences revealing the creative power of real-time tools
• A clear narrative illustrating how technology bridges concept and constructability

This wasn’t a tech demo. It was a design story enhanced by technology, told in a way the AEC sector naturally trusts.

Key Deliverables

• A flagship documentary on The B1M’s 3.8M-subscriber YouTube channel
• A contextual product integration showing Unreal Engine in real-world AEC use
• Short-form social cutdowns across multiple platformsA pinned CTA driving viewers to Unreal Engine resource
• Global amplification across architecture, engineering, construction and design audiences

Results

The campaign exceeded all benchmarks, delivering unprecedented reach, record engagement and a level of viewer action rarely seen in the AEC space.

Performance Highlights

• 2.3 million+ views
• 69,000+ likes
• 3,334 comments — overwhelmingly from architects, designers and industry professionals
• 35 million+ impressions
• 220,000 hours of watch time (equivalent to 25+ years of viewing)
• 100,000+ direct clcks to Unreal Engine’s website — the highest outbound click-through in The B1M’s history

This became a breakout moment for Unreal Engine in the architecture and construction world.

Audience Impact

The documentary:

• Reached a global mix of architects, designers, engineers, contractors and visualisation specialists
• Demonstrated Unreal Engine in a credible, real-project context
• Triggered widespread discussion on real-time 3D and design workflows
• Delivered huge top-of-funnel brand discovery for Epic Games
• Converted viewers into active explorers of Unreal Engine tools and documentation

The comments section became a case study in itself, filled with industry voices discussing how they use Unreal, how they plan to adopt real-time tools, and how the project inspired them.

Why It Worked

A compelling architectural story

Safdie’s “Project Hillside,” with its Habitat 67 heritage, gave the film emotional depth and architectural credibility rarely seen in tech campaigns.

Authentic technology integration

Unreal Engine wasn’t pitched - it was shown naturally, inside real workflows, making its value instantly clear.

Visual power

Real-time 3D is inherently cinematic. Paired with The B1M’s production quality, the result was standout visual storytelling.

Global distribution strength

The B1M’s cross-AEC reach drove visibility that traditional marketing channels simply cannot match.

A highly engaged, highly relevant audience

Architects and engineers already come to The B1M for design and construction insights, making Unreal Engine’s story instantly resonant.

Outcome

This campaign became Unreal Engine’s most successful AEC activation to date, delivering record traffic, deep engagement and long-tail industry impact. It performed so strongly that it competed with, and at times outperformed, Epic Games’ own Fortnite marketing activations. This was a first for an AEC-focused documentary and a clear indication of how powerful the story truly was.

It showed the impact that premium long-form storytelling can have when paired with a leading technology brand, and it helped position Unreal Engine as a major force in the future of architectural design, collaboration and visualisation.

It also proved a wider point: when you combine a strong design narrative with breakthrough technology and meaningful distribution, the result doesn’t just succeed — it shifts an entire sector forward.

If you’d like to reach millions of highly engaged AEC professionals, get in touch with me directly and I’ll send over our partnership options and availability.