To galvanise fans before the release of Doctor Who: Resolution, Powster partnered with the BBC and Facebook to create a one of a kind AR puzzle: power down the crystals before they re-generate to unlock a teaser and materialise your very own Tardis.
The objective was to bring a global brand into a new era utilising new technology and excite and engage the next generation of Doctor Who fans. We were tasked with creating an experience which pushed the Facebook AR technology to new limits and stayed true to the quality and worldbuilding of an iconic show.
Innovative AR experience for Facebook Camera
We wanted to do something new and exciting with the Facebook AR platform, to take our Doctor Who effect beyond the usual selfie filters and deliver something more interactive and challenging for fans to explore.
The game went through various iterations before settling on the final design. We needed to design and model a wide range of assets from scratch to bring the game together and create the illusion of a realistic 'in-world' game.
For the team, the biggest challenge was to create all the objects within a strict file size limit. When dealing with an iconic statement piece, such as the globally recognisable TARDIS, a precision level of detail was required to ensure it felt realistic. This required a considered strategic approach to modelling, texturing and animating to achieve an impressive result within the file restrictions.
A clear, user-friendly UI was at the heart of the design. For a game which contained so many complex elements, simplicity was key in our approach in order to connect with a mass audience.
To achieve a seamless, intuitive user experience with high retention we made sure each stage of the game was clearly explained. Upon loading the effect, users were given a set of simple instructions with clear, easy to read text and pictures so they could follow step by step.
To create an engaging and tangible in-world experience demanded a variety of features and functions to work harmoniously. We achieved this by writing custom script to control the logic of the game in an efficient way. This was combined with the Spark AR patch editor to achieve complex animations and dynamic, environmental renderings for intricate objects all within the 2MB file size restriction.
The final effect proved a great success, both meeting the client's high creative standards and brand guidelines, and demonstrating strong, sustained engagement from fans.
Users also captured images and videos during almost half of the gameplays, further supporting the campaign through organic sharing.
