Billy Meets World
View the case- Brand
- Lauv
- Year
- 2019
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- The Creative Corporation
Objective
Lauv's label needed to turn a single release into subscriber growth and first-party fan data ahead of his debut album, while extending his reach across Asia in step with his tour there.
Solution
Fans sign in with one tap through Spotify or Facebook, which automatically follows Lauv and starts his songs playing in the background. From there it's one-button control: guiding Lauv's real-life dog, Billy, as he flies endlessly rightward through neon tubes lifted from the "Drugs & The Internet" video, tapping to keep him clear of each gap. The game is built to be tough, so runs stay short and players jump straight back in. High scores unlock an exclusive acoustic video and merch discount codes, and every result posts to a public leaderboard under the player's Spotify name. New levels arrived alongside each single from the album.
Results
Over 100,000 plays worldwide, with players averaging 27 plays per session and spending 4 minutes 31 seconds in the game on average. Lauv's daily Spotify follower growth rose 200%, doubling his typical monthly pace on launch day, and 1,500 players unlocked in-game rewards.
- 1
The player opens the game directly in a phone or desktop browser at a dedicated URL, with no app to install; the page loads in one of seven-plus languages, including Korean, Chinese, and Japanese.
- 2
Before play, the game requires login, primarily a one-click Spotify sign-in with Facebook as a fallback; the Spotify flow requests email, public playlists, and subscription management access, and grants it automatically follows the artist and adds new releases to the player's Release Radar.
- 3
The game loads in a vertical frame with language and menu toggles and a sound switch, set against the artist's music-video world; an embedded Spotify player runs the video's title track as background music, and the player character hovers in place awaiting the first tap.
- 4
The core loop is a Flappy Bird-style endless runner: the player holds down a tap or click to keep the character aloft and steers it through gaps in oncoming paired obstacles, with each cleared pair adding a point to a large on-screen counter.
- 5
Any collision ends the run immediately and resets the score to zero, making each attempt short and the game deliberately difficult to sustain.
- 6
A second stage offers an alternate setting with its own visual theme and differently colored obstacles, but runs on the identical hold-to-fly mechanic and scoring.
- 7
Reaching a set score threshold unlocks bonus content: an exclusive acoustic performance video and a discount code for the artist's merch store.
- 8
Scores post to a shared leaderboard labeled with players' Spotify usernames, letting players compare results with fans worldwide.
- 9
New themed stages were added over time to coincide with subsequent track releases from the artist's album, giving returning players fresh settings and runs.
