Everyone expects iconic devices from Apple, but few expected a gaming service. So we set out to connect with hard-core gamers — as well as potential gamers — and broaden their ideas about Apple. Our brief was to make gaming feel as much a part of Apple as an iPhone or a Mac. And our goals were to raise awareness of Apple Arcade, to expose people to the sheer fun of the games, and to grow free trials.

Apple.com is one of the ten most visited sites in the U.S. and delivers massive reach every day. So it was an obvious place to get the attention of people who are engaged with Apple. But even more importantly to the concept, apple.com was the perfect place to make a connection between the Apple devices people know and love and a new gaming service they didn’t expect.

Our homepage is a landmark, known for its stunning product photography against a clean white backdrop. It’s exactly what people expect from Apple. Our idea was to disrupt that pristine, minimalist design by staging a little invasion. We turned loose a gang of game characters and let them make some mischief. The irreverent characters interacted with the iconic iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV (the products Apple Arcade works on) to create an enduring association between Apple and gaming.

The apple.com homepage is a static grid of stunning product photography on a clean white background. To inject energy and convey the sheer fun of the Apple Arcade games, we transformed those product shots into environments. On scroll, brightly colored animated game characters all play out their own narratives, interacting with the products and leaving their marks. To make them feel visceral, we created rigging and textures for each character. This included small details like fire reflections on Hazard, life-like hair on OceanHorn, and subtle smoke and tire tracks left behind by Sonic’s race car. An integrated end card allowed for a branding moment and the appearance of even more game characters — and more fun.

The impact of the homepage takeover was truly tremendous for the business and far surpassed our goals. During its run, we saw a 255% increase in visits to the Apple Arcade product site and a 483% increase in “Try it free” clicks. What’s more, it was clear that people absolutely loved the playful, irreverent spirit of the creative. Write-ups in Forbes and other outlets praised the work for the very things we set out to achieve: to create a clear connection between our devices and gaming, and to convey the playfulness and fun of the games in Apple Arcade. One journalist said, “[The] Apple Arcade homepage takeover brings cross promotion to a new level,” while another called the work “a fantastically realized invasion by game characters,” and a third complimented it as "a must-see whimsical promotion.”