OnePlus: Crackables
Open the game- Brand
- OnePlus
- Year
- 2018
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Tech
- Mechanic
- Puzzle
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- UNIT9
- With
- ONEPLUS
- With
- Google ZOO
- With
- Le Polish Bureau
Objective
OnePlus sought to demonstrate that its 8GB RAM flagship devices could handle complex, demanding games comparable to dedicated gaming platforms, positioning the brand as the ultimate mobile gaming device. Crackables served as a teaser and community engagement campaign ahead of the OnePlus 6T launch, rewarding loyal fans with a high-value gaming prize and generating viral buzz through cryptographic puzzle challenges.
Solution
Crackables was a two-phase cryptographic puzzle competition accessible via mobile web browser (no app download required). Players solved digital cipher puzzles in the first phase, with the top 1,000 fastest competitors advancing to a physical phase where they received microcontroller devices and used touch-tone protocols to decode final audio-based challenges. The game combined vintage cryptography techniques with modern design. Agencies UNIT9, Google Zoo APAC, and Le Polish Bureau collaborated on design and development, with game design by Sleep Deprivation Lab. The campaign launched September 18, 2018, and featured a $30,000 ultimate gaming PC setup as the grand prize for winners.
Results
OnePlus Crackables won 1 FWA (Favourite Website Award).
