The latest Smurfs film gets it’s own mixed reality children’s game for Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Sony’s latest edition to the Smurf reboot anthology, Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theaters today once again bringing the iconic 80’s characters back from the dead much to the delight of children and nostalgic adults everywhere.
The marketing team is doing everything it can to fill the seats of the animated children’s adventure, but after shelling out an outrageous $150 million in promotional support for the previous installment, the company has had to look to new platforms to extend their marketing reach even further. This apparently includes releasing an mixed reality Smurfs-themed children’s experience for the HoloLens.
Developed as part of a partnership between media agency OMD, AOL advertising content creators Partner Studio and VR production company UNIT9, this mixed reality Smurf adventure tasks players with exploring various exotic locations straight from the film in hopes of eventually reaching the fabled “Lost Village.” After placing on the headset, players can use flat surfaces and tabletops to view the colorful world and interact with the Smurf gang to progress through the multiple levels.
“Smurfs: The Lost Village takes moviegoers into the world of the Smurfs, and the HoloLens allows us to go one better: to bring our world and the Smurfs’ world together in a mixed-reality setting,” said Elias Plishner, EVP of Digital Marketing at Sony Picture Entertainment. “It’s huge fun for the moviegoer that perfectly whets the appetite for the movie.”
Of course it’s difficult to say how many children will actually get to experience this neat little game. After all, there is still no consumer version of the Microsoft HoloLens available to the public, meaning one would have to part with at least $3,000 for a Development Edition just to try it. So regardless of how cool the mixed reality experience may be, it will no doubt remain a simple proof-of-concept demonstrating how the HoloLens could be used as an engaging promotional tool for advertisers. But with several companies already investing in their own mixed reality solutions, it may not be long until these experiences become much easier to get your hands on.
Smurfs: The Lost Village is rated PG and is in theaters now.
