Kart Fighter 3 – Unbeaten Tracks
View the case- Brand
- Red Bull
- Year
- 2013
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- App
Objective
Red Bull Media House was launching the third entry in its own mobile racing franchise and wanted the release to land as a mass download event, not just another app store listing — the game itself pointed players to redbull.com/games to pull them deeper into Red Bull's wider content library. Free-to-play was the lever: remove the price barrier and let Red Bull's existing audience carry the download numbers at launch.
Solution
Players drop into a top-down arcade racer that plays like a retro Micro Machines throwback, picking from oddball vehicles — a lunar buggy, a snowmobile, a hovercraft — to run across more than 25 launch tracks that grew to 45 over time, spanning eight locations including a Halloween-themed course. Before each race they choose how much control to take on: full manual steering, auto-accelerate, or auto-turn. A Mechanic character walks them through a career ladder, and between races they pop into a garage to repaint and kit out their cart. Outside the career mode, players spin a free daily wheel in Quick Play, challenge friends head-to-head over Facebook in Versus, or grind for a spot on the leaderboards in the Trophy Room, banking stars and coins along the way to cash in on Wild Card boosts.
Results
More than 10 million downloads in the first five days after launch, with the game reaching the top 10 in over 100 countries. It ranked #1 among free racing games in more than 25 countries, and the Android release alone passed 5 million installs.
- 1
The player downloads the game for free; the store listing points back to redbull.com/games rather than to a paid entry point.
- 2
At the start, the player picks a control scheme: automatic steering, automatic acceleration and braking, or fully manual controls for advanced play.
- 3
A central hub menu splits the game into five sections: Career, Workshop, Quick Play, Versus, and Trophy Room.
- 4
In the Workshop, the player picks a kart from several types (including a V8-Superkart, a Moon Buggy and themed models) and repaints it with unlockable skins, then selects a location and track from settings ranging from Southern California beaches to lunar craters.
- 5
Before a race, the player spends earned stars and coins on a Wild Card, a temporary boost to acceleration, top speed or grip; unlocking faster karts and premium events pushes the player toward buying coins with real money.
- 6
Races run from a top-down, bird's-eye view: the player holds a line through turns, drifts, launches off ramps, and pulls 360-degree turns through hairpins, with hazards such as sand, rocks or snow matched to each track's setting.
- 7
A Mechanic character guides career mode, assigning objectives and rewarding Wild Cards as the player advances from novice to champion; stars earned from wins and objectives unlock new arenas, and fully clearing a level means replaying its track with every kart and every Wild Card to take first place.
- 8
Quick Play offers one free daily spin on a wheel that grants a random still-locked kart, track or Wild Card to try, with extra spins available for purchase.
- 9
In Versus, the player challenges Facebook friends on best lap time rather than racing them live, and can post results and achievements to Facebook from within the game.
- 10
The Trophy Room collects leaderboard best times and career achievements, giving the player a place to return to and compare progress.
