New Japan Pro-Wrestling KEIBA

Objective

Japan Racing Association (JRA) partnered with New Japan Pro-Wrestling to introduce horse racing to mainstream audiences through entertainment gaming. The collaboration aimed to make horse racing accessible and engaging to wrestling fans and newcomers who might not otherwise be interested in the sport. By launching five casual mini-games featuring popular NJPW wrestlers, the campaign sought to drive engagement on the Umabi platform and encourage potential attendance at racecourses.

Solution

The campaign featured five browser-based mini-games released on Umabi (umabi.jp) on October 12, 2017, playable on desktop and mobile without app installation. GI CLIMAX RACE used flicking controls where players raced against NJPW wrestlers as jockeys while responding to on-screen instructions and countering rival attacks via pin sequences. 'Take Me to the Race' was a dating simulation with wrestler Makabe Taiji featuring anger management mechanics, audio recognition quizzes, visual distortion effects, and dodging mini-games. Three additional games included Okada's prediction/marking mechanics, Naito's stealth avoidance challenge, and Tanahashi's image identification quiz (horses vs. people). Prizes included ¥50,000 in cash vouchers for racing game winners and special tear-away t-shirts for dating sim participants, distributed via social media sharing lottery.