Motorbike Escape
- Brand
- Harry Potter
- Year
- 2010
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
Objective
Warner Bros. needed to build heat ahead of the November 19, 2010 theatrical release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and wanted fans doing more than watching a trailer. Putting them inside the film's escape sequence gave the campaign something to spread on its own, with a free, install-free browser game built for maximum reach across the fan base.
Solution
The player drops straight into the sidecar of Hagrid's flying motorbike, soaring over a night-time London skyline to the film's own score. Aiming with a wand, they fire Disarming Charms at the Death Eaters closing in from behind while swerving to dodge the curses coming back the other way. Flying through the chase, they can grab power-ups pulled from the books: Essence of Dittany for an extra life, Dragon Fire for a burst of speed. Every hit lands a score between 50 and 500 points, and when the chase ends, the player can push their final score straight to Facebook and pass it on to friends.
- 1
The game opens on a promo page styled with key art from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and the film's premiere date, inviting the player to cast spells to stop Death Eaters; a Facebook block and a share panel (Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Digg) let the page be shared before play even starts.
- 2
Starting the game loads it directly in the browser via the Unity Web Player plugin, prompting an install if needed, with no separate client download.
- 3
The player takes a first-person view from the sidecar of Hagrid's flying motorcycle, racing over a night-time London skyline.
- 4
The core loop has the player aiming a wand at pursuing Death Eaters and firing a Disarming Charm to knock each one out of the chase.
- 5
A Death Eater's spell can still be airborne after its caster is disarmed, so the player must dodge incoming curses separately from targeting enemies.
- 6
Two pickups appear along the route: Essence of Dittany grants an extra life, while Dragon Fire boosts the motorcycle's speed.
- 7
Successful hits score between 50 and 500 points, building a running total over the chase, all set to music synced from the film's soundtrack.
- 8
At the end of the run, the player sees a final score that can be posted to Facebook, shares the game page through the other buttons, and can move on to the official Harry Potter site or sign up for the Warner Bros. newsletter.
