The Qiddiya Gaming campaign, which won Gold in Gaming at The Drum Awards for Marketing, employed groundbreaking strategy and cutting-edge technology to create an electrifying global campaign showcasing Qiddiya City's revolutionary entertainment district.
Beckoning us to imagine a place where fantasy meets reality, the yet-to-be-built Qiddiya City is redefining entertainment, positioning itself as the ultimate gaming utopia. After unveiling this spectacular entertainment district and breaking ground last year, MAS teamed up with Qiddiya Gaming to bring their visionary mission to life and showcase their gaming prowess through an electrifying global campaign, employing groundbreaking strategy and cutting-edge technology to give the world its first glimpse into the revolution of entertainment as we know it.
The gaming community is a notoriously tough crowd to break into, and even more so to win over. Therefore, our strategy in building and executing this campaign had to be rock solid and definitively daring. By showing up and showing out at gaming conferences around the world, we are bringing the world of Qiddiya Gaming right to gamers’ front doors and building a global community at their fingertips. Our campaign engaged three key groups using unique tactics:
Each experience fits into our constructed ecosystem of intertwined dynamic physical and digital experiences, exciting social content, and strategic partnerships. Qiddiya Gaming activations have popped up at seven unique gaming expos since April 2024, from São Paulo to Tokyo, Dallas, Cologne, and more, and we’re just getting started. At each location, MAS has brought Qiddiya to life in a unique way and with a targeted strategy for that specific audience—all while making each activation feel cohesive within the larger launch campaign. While the delivery may change, it’s imperative that certain key elements not only carry through but build upon one another.
These through factors are tailored to what we know about engaging our Gen-Z gamer audience. We’ve deployed cutting-edge technology in new and innovative ways, played on their affinity for surprise product drop culture, cultivated online Discord channels for post-event engagement and community building, and grown a following by revealing clues about the mysterious Qiddiya Pillars at select activations.
These aren’t just activations—they’re invitations. The result? A rapidly growing, deeply invested global community that isn’t just excited for Qiddiya Gaming’s future—they’re already part of it.
Each global event highlighted one of Qiddiya Gaming’s four epic gaming zones—Cyberpunk, High Fantasy, Alt History, and Space—by transporting attendees into fully realized, multi-sensory worlds that made the future of gaming tangible. Two key elements drove our success: technology and community. MAS leveraged cutting-edge technology to create deeper immersion, blending AR, projection mapping, RFID integration, and haptics to turn event spaces into living, breathing previews of Qiddiya Gaming’s future, all while fostering a sense of community that made the experience feel real before the city even existed. We strategically designed this fully integrated gaming ecosystem to engage audiences in-person and online through four main tactics:
Using this framework, MAS brought the world of Qiddiya Gaming to life across the globe. At Tokyo Game Show, gamers entered the neon-drenched underworld of Ubar where they had to interact with vendors to collect illegal cheat codes and hack their way through AI-driven challenges. At The Supply Drop in Dallas, attendees embarked on a scavenger hunt around the space meant to emulate the personal quests we know and love from our favorite games. The main challenge: to track down the elusive Supply Drop by joining and engaging with the Discord to uncover exclusive clues. Outpost Omega at G-STAR in Busan transformed the floor into a high-stakes battleground with an AR first-person shooter game, where players wielded haptic “Weedkiller” weapons to take down alien plant invaders. MAS developed this custom AR FPS game, managing every aspect from concept to execution. We built an interactive world in Unity, designed haptic “Weedkiller” weapons with embedded sound, and engineered a real-time scoring system to create high-stakes, competitive gameplay. Every detail—from the onboarding narrative to the final integration—was designed for maximum immersion. At Gamescom Cologne, MAS brought Qiddiya Gaming’s High Fantasy Zone to life at the MEK Fortress with large-scale, interactive storytelling. Digital stained glass windows, activated by proximity sensors, revealed hidden glyphs, while players forged their own digital swords, which were projection-mapped at massive scale. Those who unlocked all the glyphs had a chance to win a hand-forged sword—blurring the lines between digital play and real-world rewards. Our Legends Lounges in Las Vegas and Tokyo gave gamers a shot at ultimate glory—facing off against their idols in head-to-head matches for the ultimate bragging rights. We proved that great gaming experiences aren’t just about technology—they’re about creating the right environment. Gamers connected, competed, and watched top players in a space designed for them. Instead of over-the-top spectacle, we focused on what mattered: the best snacks, the most comfortable seats, the biggest matches, and, of course, exclusive merch.
The Qiddiya Gaming campaign isn’t just a series of activations—it’s a movement. By blending immersive tech, live esports, and digital engagement, MAS created a fully interactive, multi-platform gaming experience that built worlds, sparked competition, and fostered real connections, resonating with audiences worldwide.
Massive Reach & Engagement:
Record-Breaking Immersion & Participation:
Driving Long-Term Brand Impact:
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MAS
MAS is an award-winning experience agency serving some of the most iconic, innovative brands in the world. Minority-led and founded, we’ve built our team with...