Red Bull’s MR Game: Arena Defender

How can one reach thousands of sports fans with a gripping interactive stadium event? With this question in mind, bright! developed the interactive mixed reality game Arena Defender for Red Bull and the SAP Garden, a game experience in which spectators become active players.

Participants can create their own objects via the Red Bull app and “throw” them into the game, while the players on the ice, wearing mixed reality headsets, try to fend off these objects with virtual shields. The experience is enhanced by means of dynamic gaming elements such as movable portals, laser obstacles and a pachinko mechanism on the LED cube. Objects that fall successfully through the pachinko board and hit a target earn fans loyalty points and the chance to win attractive prizes. The players can follow their objects, are actively incorporated into the process and are therefore emotionally involved with the game.

The concept combines mixed reality, real-time projections on the ice and a seamless digital app integration. The latest technologies such as Meta-Quest-3 headsets, real-time simulations with Unreal Engine and a cloudbased backend through Amazon AWS were used for the realisation. This blend of technologies made it possible to process thousands of parallel interactions between the fans and the players on the ice. The players remain involved with the brand even after the event through the integration into the Red Bull app and the gathering of loyalty points. It is a challenging project that is intended to create a seamless experience and to be understandable, intuitive and at the same time technologically precise and captivating for a wide public.