PLAY NZ.
Tourism New Zealand.
When the world couldn’t visit, we invited them to play.
In 2020 as COVID hit and travel plummeted, online gaming increased by over 70%.Tourism New Zealand decided to market the entire country like a game,inviting the world to PlayNZ.
A world-first interactive tourism experience, Play NZ showcased the country in a completely new way, keeping New Zealand top of mind for future travellers.
We launched with a live stream on Twitch, featuring the first ever ‘gamer walkthrough’ of a country.
During the live stream, Australian gaming heavyweight, Loserfruit, led thousands of followers on an hour-long journey that showcased the best bits of New Zealand. She “played” the country and interacted live with followers.
A real game?
We launched with a live stream on Twitch, featuring the first ever ‘gamer walkthrough’ of a country. During the live stream, Australian gaming heavyweight, Loserfruit, led thousands of followers on an hour-long journey that showcased the best bits of New Zealand. She “played” the country and interacted live with followers.
This nine minute ‘walkthrough’ was seamlessly stitched into her hour long Twitch livestream creating the illusion that PLAY NZ was a real RPG.
Every aspect of the design represented Aotearoa New Zealand in painstaking detail. From the items in the character’s pack to the health bars - representing Kaha (strength) Aroha (heart) and Wairua (life force).
Textures like Ponamu (greenstone) Paua (abalone) and carved wood add to the sense of place. And the music was composed using Maori instruments including the nose flute!
Even the storytelling showcased the Manakitanga of New Zealand, with locals helping our hero at ever stage of his Journey.
How do you launch a game?
As well as using a prominent gaming influencer, and Hollywood star (Julian Denison) to drive media interest, we created teasers and trailer films, digital banners and in-app ads mimicking a real gaming launch.
We gave people the opportunity to dive deeper at every touchpoint, driving future travellers to the PLAY NZ immersive hub where they were met with 18x VR180° and 360° quest films, downloadables and characters from the film.
Gamers couldn’t get enough, with many asking when PLAY NZ would launch
for real.
But most importantly, Intent to visit New Zealand post lockdown has increased +387%* and we maintained our #1 position as the preferred destination for Aussie travellers**.
One show silver. D&AD Graphite, Wood. LIA Silver x2, Bronze x3. Adfest Grand Prix, Gold, Bronze. Spikes Asia Grand Prix, Silver, Bronze. AWARD Silver, Bronze.