Netflix x Candy NFT Collaboration & Webby Award Winning Augmented Reality Game
I am hells master
The Challenge
Design and execute an engaging partnership launch that is authentic to the cultural overlap of the Stranger Things fandom and web3 community
Ensure a smooth user journey through the launch experience to the Candy platform, where rewards would be distributed
Develop a compelling digital merchandise strategy supported by the principles that have driven entertainment and pop culture collectibles for decades, while taking advantage of the unique opportunities presented by blockchain, AR/VR, and other emerging technologies
The mystery
It all began with a single frame embedded inside the trailer for Stranger Things Season 4, and a clue dropped in Stranger Things’ social media accounts.
Those who figured out the message were led to iamhellsmaster.com, and greeted with an ominous countdown.
The game
In close, tight-lipped collaboration with creative executives, our team created a four week interactive experience in which players entered solutions to clues sprinkled across the internet into a fully functional digital Lite Brite, which featured prominently in Season 4 as a communication device between characters in Hawkins and the Upside Down.
As the game progressed, the first players to solve each week’s puzzle earned free NFTs of animated character posters created by Candy’s extremely talented VFX team.
My personal favorite contribution was writing and pitching the silly, cryptic message that players heard when they called the phone number on the side of the Surfer Boy Pizza truck, recorded specifically for the game by Argyle (played by Eduardo Franco).
The game is still playable at iamhellsmaster.com, and fan-created walkthroughs of the solutions are available in a number of forms, for those who would like to recreate the experience!
The final puzzle of the game was embedded in the character poster NFTs players had been earning all along, requiring the community to work together to solve the last mystery and earn either Vecna or Demobat NFTs.
These unique collectibles used the exact same 3D models used in the show, and similar to a detailed replica, gave fans a uniquely intimate view of the iconic Big Bads.
NFT Merchandise for Entertainment Partnerships: Strategy & Platform
Role: Product Design Lead
As the lead product designer on the launch team for Candy’s partnership with Netflix, my focus was on the development of the overarching entertainment digital merchandise strategy and user experience for the launch of Candy Digital’s Stranger Things product line, including journey mapping and puzzle development for the Webby award winning iamhellsmaster ARG and leading UX for the launch of the Netflix x Candy platform. In parallel, I was also a key contributor to the digital merchandise strategy for the Getty Images partnership and UX lead for the Getty Images x Candy platform.
Dream it
2022
Build it
2021
Grow it
Sell it
2019
2020