PUMA RS-0 Play
- Brand
- PUMA
- Year
- 2018
- Objective
- Product Launch
- Industry
- Fashion & Beauty
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Superhero Cheesecake
Objective
For the 2018 relaunch of its RS-0 sneaker line, PUMA wanted visitors to linger on its ecommerce platform rather than bounce after a single product view. The brand tied the push to the June 2, 2018 launch of the RS-0 PLAY pack, a collection built around 80s arcade classics, aiming to hook retro gamers and sneaker collectors long enough to make repeat visits.
Solution
You play as the RS-0 sneaker itself, sprinting through an endless side-scrolling world styled after 80s arcade consoles. Tap to jump and dodge the obstacles and gaps that keep sliding into view, picking up points as you go. The track never repeats the same way twice, and the pace quickens the longer you last. One mistimed jump ends the run, dropping your score onto a global leaderboard and daring you to beat it on the next try.
Results
The site averaged about 5 minutes of dwell time per user, meeting PUMA's target for the campaign. The leaderboard also drove real competition: the top score reached 75,807 points, roughly three times the best score anyone on the studio's own team managed.
- 1
The game lives on its own site, opening straight into a single retro arcade-style screen inviting the player to start playing, rendered in limited-palette sprite graphics styled after 1980s consoles.
- 2
The player's avatar is the RS-0 sneaker itself, animated to move like a living character rather than a static shoe.
- 3
The sneaker runs automatically from left to right in an endless side-scrolling runner with no levels and no ending; the player's goal is simply to survive as long as possible.
- 4
The city backdrop of geometric shapes and bright colors scrolls by and is assembled on the fly, so each run's scenery looks different.
- 5
The player steers the sneaker across platforms of varying height, times jumps over gaps between them, and dodges potholes and other obstacles in the streetscape; missing a jump or hitting an obstacle ends the run.
- 6
Points are scattered along the route in fixed, hand-placed spots that usually sit near a jump or an awkward platform, so grabbing them means taking on extra risk.
- 7
The track draws from a growing pool of hundreds of pre-built segments that get harder the longer the run lasts, so play stays easy to pick up but never fully masterable.
- 8
A run ends the moment the player makes a mistake, and the score reached at that point is locked in.
- 9
That score posts to a global leaderboard where players are identified by a short arcade-style tag, turning repeat play into a chase for a higher ranking.
- 10
The experience is built primarily for mobile play, adapting the side-scrolling format to touch devices.
