Scopely is a global interactive entertainment and video game company, home to many top-grossing, award-winning franchises like “Stumble Guys,” a fast-paced battle royale party game that challenges players to race through ridiculously fun obstacles in a quest to be the last “stumbler” standing.
As one of the top three most-downloaded mobile games of 2022 – with over 270 million all-time downloads and more than 1 billion hours of playtime to date – “Stumble Guys” is home to a vibrant, creative global player community.
To keep the “Stumble Guys” experience fresh for players, the team constantly evolves the game in new and novel ways. In December of 2022, in partnership with Mattel’s Hot Wheels™, Scopely fundamentally transformed “Stumble Guys” by adding the first-ever driving level, which expanded the possibilities of how to play the game. Previously, all “Stumble Guys” levels challenged players to outlast each other on foot.
The partnership between Hot Wheels™ and “Stumble Guys” was a strategic move to excite the passionate “Stumble Guys” community, welcome new audiences, and offer players even more ways to enjoy the game’s wildly social experience on their own terms. To maximize the impact of the launch, Scopely executed a comprehensive social media, advertising, and influencer campaign, designed to delight the game’s core Gen-Z demographic.
Community is at the core of the “Stumble Guys” experience, as players enjoy making new friends in the game’s vibrant world; strengthening bonds through friendly (or heated) competition; or simply hanging out. The same demographic also convenes on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitch to create and share content that brings the game to life, and delivers unique experiences both in and out of the game. Scopely had the opportunity to engage the “Stumble Guys” player community through a series of localized advertising campaigns designed to raise awareness of the game’s new Hot Wheels™ collaboration and racing level.
Targeting the Brazil market, Scopely launched a two-part TikTok campaign: a Hashtag Challenge (HTC) and Branded Effect (BE), making use of the powerful engagement tools unique to the platform to reach and engage audiences in this key demographic.
Leveraging TikTok’s Hashtag Challenge, Scopely introduced the hashtag #StumbleWheels, which challenged players to show off their skills and race to the finish line using the newly created StumbleWheels branded effect. This branded effect (similar to a filter) was presented as a mini-game that users could play to mimic the new Hot Wheels™ in-game driving experience without leaving the TikTok app. Users tagged with the #StumbleWheels hashtag were challenged to complete the race with the fastest time while giving them the option to tag their friends, creating a shareable brand experience with increased impact on the platform.
In addition to the TikTok activation, Scopely held a series of Twitch livestreams and several Instagram Story posts from key influencers to showcase the new Hot Wheels™ gameplay, targeting audiences in England and Brazil. Continuing with the racing theme, Scopely identified popular F1 racers Alex Albon, Jamie Chadwick and the Fittipaldi Brothers to play “Stumble Guys” on their Twitch and Instagram handles, bringing racing fans into the mix. In tandem, Scopely also worked with notable Twitch streamers Karl Jacobs, Hayashii, and Victor Ludgero to reach core gaming audiences.
The #StumbleWheels hashtag challenge reached 214.7 million unique TikTok users in Brazil, amassed 2.4 billion video views, and garnered 201 million likes. The branded effect received over 67 million panel impressions over the course of 6 days. Both campaign initiatives resulted in a +25% increase in Brazil installs and a +100% increase in player engagement among new “Stumble Guys” party modes – a testament to the campaign’s success in reaching new audiences while engaging existing players.
Ultimately, the “Stumble Guys” and Hot Wheels™ partnership delivered upon its goals to give players a fresh, innovative experience, and a new medium for community members to make meaningful connections.
