What we were asked to do
In March 2005, we were appointed by Nokia to develop a digital communications strategy and online campaign for its forthcoming AAA N-Gage title, System Rush. The brief was to produce a digital campaign that would achieve standout for System Rush in the over-crowded gaming market.
Developed by Ideaworks3D, System Rush is a fast paced, futuristic stunt racing game exclusively for the N-gage platform, which allows players to race via a Bluetooth connection or via Nokia's N-Gage Arena. Players race against each other to hack into five worldwide organisations, defeating a number of 'enemies' along the way. The game was launched in the UK in September 2005.
What we did
In response to the brief we developed an innovative two-stage digital campaign that mirrors the game's engaging storyline.
Firstly, a 'real' System Rush micro-site (www.systemrush.com) and a spoof 'hackers' site (www.whitehatz.net), were developed, the latter of which provided information on accessing 'restricted' information from the 'real' site during its development.
To ensure ultimate authenticity, whitehatz.net was deliberately designed to give the impression of an underground fan/hacker site. Links to it were posted on Nokia N-gage bulletin boards, informing users that the site allowed hacked access to System Rush game media. News of the subsequent security violation was spread solely through related N-gage sites and underground channels.
In July 2005, the hacked 'real' site was replaced with the permanent version. Creative content is provided through character and vehicle profiles, game news and arena high scores, screen shots, video, and downloads including music, wallpaper and screensavers.
What happened
Every element of the design incorporated into the System Rush campaign - from the authenticity of the whitehatz.net hacker site; the hi-tech fluorescent colours and black background of the systemrush.com site and the way in which the site mimics the hacker theme - was specifically chosen to appeal to the gaming audience it set out to attract.
The clever exploitation of the game's storyline, combined with such appropriate use of design, really helped to set systemrush.com apart from the plethora of game sites battling for gamer attention.
The campaign created a huge buzz prior to the game's release, helping to add leverage to the offline media activity and, even six months after the release of the System Rush game, the site continues to receive a significant amount of traffic.
Take a look at Nokia System Rush
www.systemrush.com