Eden Unearthed
- Brand
- Netflix
- Year
- 2021
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- AR & VR
- Agency
- Monks
Objective
Netflix built this to promote the May 2021 premiere of "Eden," its first original anime series, giving fans a way to step inside the show's world rather than just watch it. The internal marketing team commissioned it independently of Netflix's broader gaming push, aiming for a companion experience that would outlast the launch window and appeal to anime and gaming audiences alike.
Solution
Players strap on a Quest or Quest 2 headset and free-ride a futuristic motorcycle through a cel-shaded landscape lifted from the show's world, choosing English or Japanese for the voiceover. As the terrain scrolls past, they steer around obstacles and scoop up apples for fuel, keeping the bike's cockpit in view as a steadying anchor through tight turns. Reaching certain landmarks along the route triggers a short voiceover vignette that reveals another piece of the series' backstory. The run ends the moment fuel runs out, and the distance covered is logged to a global leaderboard.
- 1
Players find Eden Unearthed on the Oculus Quest App Lab, an unlisted section of the store reached only via direct link; the app is free, rated PEGI 3, and runs in either English or Japanese to match the anime's audiences.
- 2
On launch, the player is seated astride a futuristic motorcycle, its body and dashboard fixed in view, with the world of the Eden series rendered around them as 3D characters over 2D backdrops.
- 3
The core action is riding forward through a constantly shifting landscape with simple, speed-focused controls; comfort measures such as soft edge vignetting on sharp turns and the stationary bike body as a fixed visual anchor keep the high speed comfortable in VR.
- 4
Apples scattered along the route act as fuel, and the player collects them on the move; the more apples gathered, the longer the ride lasts.
- 5
At the same time, the player steers around obstacles on the track without losing speed.
- 6
Reaching a key location from the series triggers a checkpoint: the ride slows, a short voiceover line plays, and story visuals from the Eden world appear on a screen built into the motorcycle itself; the narrative has no fixed order and assembles from whichever locations are reached.
- 7
The run ends when fuel runs out; the distance covered is submitted to a global leaderboard, giving players a reason to ride again for a better placement.
