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CASE STUDY · LOCATION BASED AR GAME · RETAIL

A location based AR game that turns players into shoppers

We built a location based AR game, in the spirit of Pokémon GO, where players walk their city catching animals. Local businesses appear on the game map with their stores and running offers, so players discover shops and collect real deals simply by playing.

CLIENT
Confidential
INDUSTRY
Games and retail
WHAT WE BUILT
Location based AR game with in game merchandising
WHERE IT RUNS
iPhone and Android, out in the city
Illustration generated in code
AT A GLANCE
  • Gamers become shoppersThrough play
  • AR animalsTo catch in real streets
  • Local storesAnd their offers on the game map
  • Real dealsCollected by playing the game
THE PROBLEM

Players walk past shops every day without noticing them

Location based games get millions of people walking through their cities, but all that attention goes to the game, not to the shops around them.

Local businesses struggle to reach young, mobile audiences, and traditional ads are easy to ignore.

The idea: make visiting a shop part of the game, so playing naturally leads to buying.

HOW WE SOLVED IT

Make the city the game board, and shops part of the game

We built a location based AR game where catching animals and discovering local offers go hand in hand.

  1. 01

    Catch animals in your city

    Players explore real streets and catch animals that appear in AR around them.

    THE CHALLENGELocation games must feel alive everywhere, not only in big city centres.
    HOW WE SOLVED ITWe built a map driven spawning system so there is always something to find nearby.
  2. 02

    Shops on the game map

    Participating businesses appear on the map as places to visit, with their running offers.

    THE CHALLENGEPromotions must feel like part of the game, not like ads.
    HOW WE SOLVED ITWe designed stores as game locations with rewards, so visiting them is fun in itself.
  3. 03

    Play to collect real offers

    Players collect deals and offers from stores by playing, then redeem them in person.

    THE CHALLENGERewards must be easy to collect and use, or players will not bother.
    HOW WE SOLVED ITWe kept collecting simple, tied directly to game actions players already enjoy.
  4. 04

    Businesses promote themselves

    Each business can promote its store and offers inside the game.

    THE CHALLENGEMany small businesses, each with their own changing offers.
    HOW WE SOLVED ITWe built the system so businesses and offers can be added and updated without changing the game.
THE OUTCOME

Turning gamers into buyers

The game connects play with local shopping: players get a reason to explore, and businesses get visitors who arrive ready to buy.

  • A new way for local businesses to reach mobile audiences
  • Offers players actually want, collected through play
  • A model that works for brands, malls and city centres
Want to see the visuals?
This project is under NDA, so we cannot show it publicly. Book a call and we will walk you through it privately.
Book a call to see it →
FOR YOUR TECHNICAL TEAM

What it is built with

Not technical? You can skip this part.
PLATFORMSiPhone and Android
ENGINEUnity with AR Foundation
LOCATIONGPS and map based gameplay
MULTIPLAYERMany players share the same live game world
ARAnimals placed in the real world
RETAILStore locations and running offers in game
MODELIn game merchandising for local businesses
← Previous projectUnnamed Arcade: a game where players build the gameNext project →An AI assistant for patients facing a rare cancer

Want people to play their way to your store?

We build location based and AR games for brands and retail. Start with a 2 to 3 week Prototype Sprint, or book a call.

Book a discovery call →Send an inquiry