Gatorade's Beat the Blitz is a virtual reality dehydration simulator and football game. This project pushed the boundaries of not just VR advertising, but VR sports games as a whole. It's available on Steam, where it rose to become the #2 Sports Game, and Oculus, where the reviews speak for themselves. For kids who don't own a VR headset, we took the game on tour to sports camps and events around the country.
Well over a year of work went into this project, and my awesome writer — Scott Lichtenauer — and I got to see it through from initial concept, to production, all the way through the experiential roll-out to teens across the country. This project pushed the limits of our knowledge in so many ways, and I'm incredibly proud of the outcome.
Peyton Manning
Super Bowl winning quarterback Peyton Manning guides you through the game and educate you on dehydration.
Gameplay
True-to-life throwing mechanics let you feel how dehydration effects your in-game performance.
Blitzer Bots
Huge "Blitzer Bots" come at you from all directions. You have to strap on the headset to see how intimidating these things are in the game.
Inside the Body
Peyton takes you inside the body and teaches you why the effects of dehydration can effect your real on-field performance.
Dehydration Effects
As you become dehydrated, your vision begins closing in, the audio gets distorted, and you can feel your heart racing through the use of a haptic vest. All of these symptoms are based on the real-life warning signs of extreme dehydration.
Achievements
Achievements were built into the game, and they kept players coming back time and time-again. Gamers averaged 59 minutes of gameplay on steam.
The First Ever Room-Scale Capable VR Football Helmet
On top of seeing through the concept and design of the game, I got to design and help build a handfull of these VR football helmet. The helmets are traveling the country to our experiential activations. On top of putting players in the mindset of 'gearing up' for a football game, the helmets provided the perfect instagram-able photo op.
The First Published Game to feature Volumetric Capture
We flew out to Seattle and captured Peyton Manning on the Holostage in Microsoft's Mixed Reality Capture Studios. Microsoft had been using this technology to create holograms for their AR Hololens project, but no one had ever utilized the tech to use in a VR game. The result of volumetric capture is a model of Peyton Manning that you can move around and see from any angle. It feels like he's actually standing there in the room with you.
Game Branding & Identity
On top of concepting and creative directing the gameplay itself, I designed the branding and identity for the game.
The Logo
The lettering is based on modern college football jerseys. The "B" is a nod to Peyton Manning, using his infamous number "18" to create it. Gatorade's lightning bolt finds its way into the logo via the negative space between the "T" and the "Z".
The Cover Art
The cover artwork is crucial when battling for attention in game stores. Using Gatorade's iconic orange, I created a border that doubles as way to fake depth and make the hand and the Blitzer Bot feel like they're coming out of the screen.
Experiential
SXSW & Big Events
We brought Beat the Blitz to big events around the country. From SXSW, where it was the centerpiece of Gatorade's Innovation House, to the NFL combine, where football fans of all ages got to try it out.
Elite Football Camps
We also brought the game to the athletes who needed it most. Through the heat of the summer, Beat the Blitz popped up at elite football camps around North America.
AWARDS
2018 Cannes Lions
Silver Lion // Mobile // Games
Bronze Lion // Mobile // VR
Shortlist (x3)
2018 Clio Awards
2018 Gold Clio // Digital/Mobile // Virtual/Augmented Reality
2018 Silver Clio // Innovation // Medium Innovation
CREDITS
Group Creative Director: Glen Scott
Copywriter: Scott Lichtenauer
Account Lead (and Project Hero): Maggie Glenski