A Mearns attraction will welcome tens of millions of visitors from around the world next month at least in cyberspace.
Global phenomenon and video game franchise Call of Duty releases its next instalment on November 5 and gamers will visit a location based on Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven.
Developers based the multiplayer level Stonehaven, which will be released to one of the internet’s largest markets, on the 15th Century castle’s features, making a few alterations so as to be more suitable for a war simulation six centuries after it was built.
Dunnottar draws around 75,000 visitors each year and owners Dunecht Estates hope games-mad tourists make the north-east one of their stops after Call of Duty: Ghosts hits the shelves.
Emily Telford, head of rural enterprises for the estate, said she is looking forward to welcoming more visitors.
“We’re always delighted to welcome new people from all over the world and introduce them to the history of Dunnottar and the north-east of Scotland through the ages.”
Ms Telford said a games audience would be a new sector for visitors drawn to the area, after the castle featured prominently in the Disney Pixar film Brave.
“There might also be benefits for the likes of Stonehaven,” she added.
Other buildings players can see include a lighthouse that may have been influenced by the nearby Todhead Lighthouse.
The previous instalment in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 2, sold millions of copies worldwide and made more than £600 million.
A long-running character in the series, Captain Price, is a well-loved figure and the level is described as a “homecoming” for the garrulous Scot.
Tina Palacios from developer Infinity Ward said: “I like to joke with my co-workers and say that’s Captain Price’s home town.
“When we first made it we thought it would maybe be just a harbour with a bunch of ships on a sandy beach. Then it became what it is now. And we like the look much better than what we had in the past.”