Tourism New Zealand is inviting the world to PLAY NZ, emulating an open world-style gaming experience, developed by TBWA\Sydney, that lets people explore some of New Zealand’s greatest attractions in a completely new way. PLAY NZ effectively brings to life New Zealand as a game. 

As Australians are spending more time indoors engaging in online or virtual experiences, game usage has skyrocketed with a 75% increase since March. Designed to engage the growing online gaming audience, PLAY NZ shows off New Zealand as the ultimate place to come PLAY by gamifying the experience of visiting New Zealand.

Partnering with Twitch, YouTube, actor Julian Dennison, social media content creator William Waiirua, and cultural influencers from the online and gaming communities, Tourism New Zealand set out to market the country like a real role player game –with really realistic graphics.

The campaign kicked off with a virtual press conference unlike any other, by inviting media to join a live streaming platform, Twitch. Gaming influencer, Loserfruit, led the charge by sharing a simulated live walkthrough of her experience of PLAY NZ. The roll-out included trailer films and reviews to tease the gaming community ahead of the premiere.

After watching the hero film, audiences are led to the PLAY NZ immersive hub where they can scroll through over 18, 180° digital tours and experiences across New Zealand.