CANDY CRUSH-ALL STARS
We whipped up a tasty virtual stage to host the first-ever U.S. Candy Crush All Stars Final. Crowning the top Candy Crush Player in the United States called for a production that pulled out all the stops. After a 7-week online Candy Crush tournament narrowed a field of millions down to the top 10 players, Thinkingbox stepped in to produce a finale broadcast that streamed Crushers from across the country into a live, extended reality (XR) virtual set. Working with King / Activision and lead agency No Problem, we designed, scripted, and executed the 30-minute live YouTube broadcast—packing it with all the polish and prestige of a network game show and all the deliciously irreverent fun of Candy Crush.
Mixed reality broadcast
Our solution utilized XR technology with advanced Mo-Sys camera tracking and programmed lighting to immerse our two co-hosts (David Magidoff and Peng-Peng Lee) in a visually realistic stage environment adorned with larger-than-life 3D Candy Crush Candies. The hosts provided play-by-play commentary as the ten players competed in a bracket-style final, pausing for instant reactions and interviews between rounds. The multi-camera production employed synchronized visual effects that transformed the stage for different segments, along with a comprehensive graphics package handling show elements like transitions, gameplay, scoring, and interviews. Thinkingbox managed multiple project elements, including art and creative direction, script development, set design, gameplay capture, and tech implementation, to bring the show to life.
Bringing ten players from across the country together seamlessly with two hosts in a live Candy Crush tournament experience was a feat unto itself. Doing it all on a custom-designed virtual stage with the slickness of a broadcast TV show was double the challenge. We're immensely proud of the team for pulling this off in style.
client: No Problem/King Games ██ created at: Thinkingbox ██ role: creative direction, design direction, motion ██ CD, copy/creative: Tim Blount ███ director: Erick Geisler ███ production: LA Castle Studios