The Program

GAMESTOP: RISE OF THE PLAYERS launched in theaters in January 2022, but the producers wanted to create a unique, attention-grabbing event to announce the film’s release to streaming platforms, and a fun installation that would draw in new viewers. The metaverse premiere was conceived by Decrypt Studios and its partners to address each of these directives as a first-of-its-kind experience that would create interest and positive impressions. Grithaus was brought in to help develop the communications plan and land impactful earned editorial.

The creative team produced the experience in Spatial, an instanced metaverse. The design concept for the metaverse environment was inspired by a tongue-in-cheek riff on the “to the moon” meme made popular by the GameStop/WallStreetBets saga of which the film documents.

The first phase of the campaign was a private screening of the film for an audience of 50 film, gaming, metaverse, and crypto enthusiasts. In the space, attendees could explore the environment, visit a selfie step-and-repeat station, and download a POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol), a type of Ethereum-based NFT that serves as both a ticket to gain entry and a collectible keepsake from the event.

Once the screening was completed, the environment was opened to the public for the next seven days, during which time the trailer for the film played with messaging that the film was now available for digital streaming. All features remained operable for walk-in visitors. 

125 POAPs were minted, which sold out within minutes of the room opening. In the week that followed, more than one thousand visitors visited the metaverse moon space to experience the activation, watch the trailer, and take part in the installations, far more than could attend any “real life” premiere or screening. Each visitor came to the event organically and was given an opportunity to engage with the film content and brand in a positive, interactive way that could potentially lead to purchase transactions or positive word of mouth.

The event was attended by press from The Washington Post and Forbes and covered by The Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Bitcoin Insider, among others, as a first-of-its-kind experience, serving as great publicity for the movie’s launch on digital platforms including Apple TV / iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox Store, and others.