SONY'S UNCHARTED
PRESS MAILER - PUZZLE GAME
Sony Pictures and Think Jam were looking to bring press and influencers an experience that would capture the thrill of treasure hunting from the Uncharted movie. To do this, the Wild Optimists created a series of clues and puzzles that invited players to help Nathan Drake track down what happened to his brother Sam. There were props straight out of the movie, fun keepsakes, and some very sticky Bubble Yum! Press and Influencers had a great time solving the mystery, creating lots of posts and stories to generate excitement for the Uncharted DVD release.
Endlessly inventive and charmingly creative, The Wild Optimists were making at-home immersive gaming a “thing” before most people knew what an escape room was. Whether it is perched on the shelf of the local Target or streaming onto a laptop from a Hollywood digital premier the real trick is that Ariel and Juliana know that the fun matters more than the form.
Noah Nelson, No Proscenium
AMAZON'S THE Tomorrow war
VIRTUAL PREMIERE
The Wild Optimists partnered with Little Cinema, Twitch, and Amazon Studios to create an adrenaline fueled escape room for streaming legend Dr. Lupo and his fans. The puzzles were designed to be visually interesting so that audience members would have a great time, whether or not they were actively solving.
Dr. Lupo's regular stream was interrupted by a message from the future! A soldier from the tomorrow war was standing IN Dr. Lupo’s room… thirty years in the future. An agent had hidden critical intel in the room and safeguarded it with puzzles that only Dr. Lupo and his fans would be able to solve. Audience members got to play along with Dr. Lupo, putting their suggestions and reactions in the chat. The stream got hundreds of thousands of views and the chat was exploding throughout, especially in a climactic moment specifically designed to blow gamer’s minds!
"Juliana and Ariel are relentless creatives with a true passion for narrative driven game experiences. We’ve had the pleasure of working together on a number of experiences, true to their name they are always optimistic, reliable and think on point and out of the box. I look forward to our next project together!"
Jay Rinsky, Little Cinema
AMAZON'S WITHOUT REMORSE
VIRTUAL PREMIERE
To create an unforgettable virtual premiere for Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan, Amazon Studios worked with Little Cinema and the Wild Optimists to create a high stakes, adrenaline filled ten minute virtual escape room for their premiere guests.
We dreamed up visually compelling puzzles inspired by the action of the movie, with fun callbacks to what the audience had just experienced. We worked to ensure that the puzzles fit the narrative, were solvable within the constraints of the virtual format, and kept the energy high throughout the entire ten minutes.
The result was a heart pounding adventure that made guests feel like they’d just stepped into the world of Without Remorse.
"Ariel and Juliana deliver on promises of being wildly creative and optimistically fearless. This team isn't afraid to innovate for their clients and bring unique ideas to the table. They naturally see the world through puzzles and quests, a honed skill that makes their designs thoughtfully immersive and complex no matter what medium or framework they're presented with."
Jennifer Berky, BuzzFeed
MONEY HEIST
GARENA FREEFIRE SWEEPSTAKES
We were hired to bring the thrill of a big Money Heist off the Netflix screen, through the world of Garena Free Fire and straight into people's homes. We designed a series of escalating challenges delivered over four days that invited players to join The Professor's crew by completing various tasks and solving puzzles. The game culminated on day four when players had to do a multi step challenge that required exploring the game, discovering secret websites, and deducing necessary information in order to pull off the big heist!
"The Wild Optimists embody all the best qualities of great game design: they're delightful, surprising, innovative, and thoughtful, much like the wonderful games they create. These ladies are truly passionate about what they do and it shows in their work."
Cara Mandel, Meow Wolf & Interwoven Immersive
CW'S NANCY DREW
VIRTUAL ATX QUEST
How do you engage a virtual audience? With puzzles of course! For the 2020 ATX Television festival, the CW hired the Wild Optimists to create an online puzzling experience to promote their hit show, Nancy Drew.
The Wild Optimists brainstormed with the writers to create a narrative that was cheeky, fun, and completely on brand. They designed a series of puzzles that led players on an exciting adventure with their favorite tv stars. Finally, the Wild Optimists worked with the cast to create compelling videos and unexpected reveals.
The result was a puzzle quest that was fun and approachable, both for diehard fans and those new to the show.
"I love working with the Wild Optimists as they always make each collaboration a wonderful experience. Their endless talents never cease to amaze as they not only come in with unique and fully thought out concepts but also have an excellent understanding of what will play well in different mediums.”
Jared Morell, Den of Thieves
FOX'S PRODIGAL SON
SOCIAL MEDIA PUZZLES
Fox’s hit show Prodigal Son features a protagonist who is obsessed with solving mysteries – particularly the one in his own head. To generate excitement and engagement on Social Media, we teamed up with Hi 5 to create a weekly puzzle themed to each episode that would teach players to think like the genius protagonist. Solving each puzzle rewarded players with a clue: a small hint about that week's mystery on the show!
"The television and film industry is filled with big ideas, but actually executing those ideas is the real challenge. The Wild Optimists are exactly the partners you want when trying to turn dreams into reality. Clever, driven, and a pleasure to work with - Juliana and Ariel's expertise represent huge added value to any project.”
Grant Anderson, XG Productions
UNIVERSAL'S INVISIBLE MAN
PRESS MAILER - ACTIVITY BOOK
To promote the release of the Invisible Man DVD during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, Universal Pictures wanted to give press and influencers a memorable and entertaining experience they could do in the safety of their own home.
The Wild Optimists created an activity book with a wide range of unique puzzles that jumped off the page for a truly immersive experience. Set in the world of the film, the activity book allowed players to aid Cecilia in her quest to "Find The Invisible Man."
Players thoroughly enjoyed the experience, enthusiastically capturing the fun on social media and creating a swell of buzz for the DVD release.
"I've received a lot of cool press mailers and promotional items over the years, but none as entertaining as this "#EscapeRoom in a Box" from @SonyPictures."
Broke Horror Fan
SONY'S ESCAPE ROOM MOVIE
PRESS MAILER - PUZZLE GAME
For the DVD release of the Escape Room movie, Sony commissioned a bespoke game to send to influencers, press, and talent.
We created a game that expands the world of the film. There are hidden Easter eggs for the die hard fan, and it is a blast even for those with no prior knowledge of the film.
The puzzle flow is exciting, unexpected, and visually interesting (perfect for filming and getting viral shares).
