Objective

To celebrate the monumental success of our game, June’s Journey, we wanted to give back to our community that helped make us so popular. In addition, we wanted to drive awareness of our brand to firmly establish June’s Journey as more than ‘just a game.’ It is a place of connection, escapism, and fulfillment beyond what is normally expected from a mobile game.

The Juniverse, as we like to refer to it, is set in the iconic 1920s. She is a detective who travels the world defeating criminals through her wits. We wanted to honor our top fans’ passion through a celebratory campaign that highlighted their special connection and fulfilled their player fantasy. 

Objectives:

• Show our community that Wooga cares about its players.
• Highlight superfans as inspirational ambassadors for the game.
• Create a personal connection with the people that make June’s Journey.
• Foster a sense of community for the wider audience through engaging content and contests.

We developed a concept never before tried, secure in the knowledge that we understood our players and what they wanted. We brought 12 players from around the world to a historic estate in England to solve a live-action 1920s mystery. We offered our most passionate fans an unparalleled opportunity to live out the game in a real-life immersion into the world of June’s Journey. We included the wider community through a YouTube series over 5 episodes that engaged their detective skills and allowed them to work together from home to solve the mystery.

Strategy

First, we had to find our biggest fans. We began with a talent competition where our players could send us videos showcasing their skills and love of the game. From more than 500 entries, we selected 12 players from around the globe to join us in England for an even bigger challenge.

The winners became honorary detectives to help June solve a mystery in historic Broughton Hall. They were surrounded by a cast of suspicious characters, each of whom held clues they needed to uncover. What they didn’t know is that the cast was entirely made up of Wooga employees! It was entirely improvised, with just a rough outline of what we needed to relate in each scene. We had no idea what the players would say or do…and they managed to surprise us a few times!

The two-day event was filmed and shared with our community leading up to our 6th anniversary. Each day players would have a chance to speculate on who the culprit was, hoping to solve the mystery before the final episode to win the grand prize. 

Challenges and plans: 

1. The winners are not actors, so we could not script what they would say or do. We had to prepare a story that would keep them engaged and guessing up to the last minute without relying on specifically delivered lines of dialogue. We developed the plan to split our 12 players into 3 groups, each led by a Community Manager. Each of the 3 groups had a unique series of clues to follow that would then come together in the dramatic conclusion. It was essential that we did not reveal too much too early so that when our players were talking they could not solve the mystery until the final clue had been found.
2. The actors were not actors either. Each of the characters was played by a Wooga – they were game designers, writers, and more. Each one had to be a talented improv artist as well to respond in character to whatever question the players may ask. We underwent improv classes and rehearsals beforehand. Each character had a backstory and matrix of relationships so they understood how to answer any question they received.
3. We did not know exactly what would happen in each scene when filming. We knew what we needed to relate in each step of the story, but how we got there depended on how the players reacted in the moment. The Community Managers acted as game guides, encouraging the players to ask specific questions to drive the story. Establishing a relationship of trust allowed the players to feel important and involved with the story, as well as engaged to deliver what was needed to help the viewers at home understand what they were thinking and feeling. To accommodate the loose format, we utilized cinema cameras, as well as GoPros to capture each moment. 

Results

We call our players ‘Detectives’ because of their sharp minds and love of mystery, and providing them with an experience that was so personal and tailored to their passions deepened their love of the game and respect for Wooga. The KPIs were astounding. We reached new highs for reach and engagement. Moreover, we brought joy and connection to our community. 

Campaign totals across all social media:

Reach: 9,069,694

Engagements: 262,233

Engagement Rate: 2.06%

Video Views: 5,944,818

We highlighted the winner’s intelligence and personality in the UK immersive fan event, but we engaged our fans at home as well. Each episode received the highest views we had ever received, with thousands of players guessing each time as to what the clues found meant. Theories abound as every armchair detective brought their viewpoint to the community to debate. 

This passion was most strongly felt during our final episode of the series. Not only was it emotional for our winners in the UK as the mystery concluded, but it was celebrated at home with a live stream from our anniversary party in Berlin. More than 120,000 people watched the livestream featuring the Wooga actors and those working on the series behind the scenes. When the mystery was finally solved, there was an outcry for more content like this, (but we may need to recover from this one first!)

Media