Reactland Dubai

Objective

Nike aimed to showcase its new React running shoes to Dubai audiences through an engaging, memorable interactive experience that would generate significant word-of-mouth marketing. The brand sought to allow fans to test the footwear's performance in an immersive participatory environment rather than traditional product demos.

Solution

Reactland was a real-time video game installation where spectators became the players. Participants were photographed against a green screen to generate custom avatars resembling themselves, then ran on treadmills to control their characters through a game environment featuring Dubai's iconic skyline. Players navigated virtual streets, jumped over obstacles, and climbed buildings. The game experience highlighted React shoe features. Fans could purchase t-shirts printed with their personal in-game avatar as a keepsake. Built on Unity, Android, and Arduino/Raspberry Pi hardware. The installation was a physical venue experience launched in Dubai in February 2019, following earlier successful deployments in China and Berlin.