Amazon and Twitch are debuting a new gaming experience in Fortnite, dubbed The Glitch, that allows brands to create customizable integrations that affect the gameplay — almost like product placement in movies that serves a story purpose.
Why It Hits: In-game marketing can feel inorganic in most cases, so creating a world where brands can literally be a part of the action may be one of the most exciting forms of advertising available to companies trying to recruit a younger audience.
Between the Lines: The Glitch, described as “an integrated galaxy of brand-customized playable worlds,” was formally announced this past weekend at TwitchCon.
Built by developer Look North World (which is run by Halo co-creator Alex Seropian), The Glitch pits two teams against each other in an elimination challenge.
Brands can program “glitch events” within the game. For example, Domino’s (one of the inaugural partnering brands alongside Peloton) has an in-game pizzeria where players can eat a slice of pizza to restore their health.
As part of the rollout, Twitch has tapped several top livestreamers to stream themselves playing the game, walking potential players (and brands) through how they experience the world.
Closing Thoughts: Brands have the potential to get a lot of exposure by joining The Glitch. Andrea Garabedian, the global head of brand partnerships studio at Amazon Ads, told Variety that the experience would have a “strong gameplay loop,” because people would play it and stream it on Twitch, and then fans would watch those steams. A popular game integration may make advertising a viral place for young players to visit.
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