The Beat Challenge
- Brand
- La Liga
- Year
- 2021
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- UNIT9
Objective
LaLiga wanted to move beyond matchday into entertainment, raising its profile with younger and family audiences and building a format its clubs could license internationally through a 15-year joint venture with PortAventura. For PortAventura World, the project was a way to stretch the park experience beyond a single visit — reaching fans at home, in their cities, and at stadiums across Spain — and draw new, including international, crowds beyond its 5.2 million annual visitors.
Solution
Download the free app at home and the first thing you do is build an avatar, then try out training-mode mini-games as a teaser for the real thing. Arrive at PortAventura World and the app recognizes which zone of the park you're standing in, unlocking football challenges tied to that spot — giant AR versions of Gerard Piqué, Karim Benzema and Jan Oblak step into view to call you out for shooting, dribbling and defending drills, 40 in total across the park. Clearing them fills in an interactive map and unlocks new gear and collectible items, while the LaLiga TwentyNine's restaurant and the in-park shop open up extra challenges along the way. Once you've unlocked a mini-game inside the park, you can replay it anywhere afterward — at home, on the street, even at your own club's stadium — though the rewards are richer while you're still on park grounds.
- 1
Players download The Beat Challenge for free before visiting the park; the home screen opens with a short training-mode teaser that demonstrates the mechanics and encourages a trip to the park for the full experience.
- 2
Players build an avatar, choosing its appearance and kit, to represent them in the game's football world.
- 3
In training mode, players complete football-skill mini-games at home, outdoors, or at a club stadium, using wide geofenced zones rather than exact GPS points.
- 4
The app doubles as a marketing channel, unlocking exclusive content and promotional offers for a visit to PortAventura World.
- 5
On arriving at the park, the app uses geolocation to detect which zone the player is in and surfaces that zone's set of games; 60-meter AR projections of LaLiga stars Gerard Piqué, Karim Benzema, and Jan Oblak appear over the park to guide players and issue challenges, while an interactive map marks challenge locations and completion.
- 6
Core play consists of 40 mini-challenges across three skills — defense, dribbling, and shooting — including direct AR duels against the star players, such as attempting to beat Benzema one-on-one.
- 7
Mini-games unlocked in the park stay in the player's library for use anywhere afterward; further exploration of the park unlocks additional features and collectibles such as player cards, with progress tracked on the map, and avatars compete against other players worldwide in multiplayer.
- 8
The loop extends to physical locations inside the park — the LaLiga TwentyNine's restaurant and an adjoining shop — where players find further challenges and merchandise.
- 9
The club roster expands over time, with LaLiga Santander teams added across subsequent seasons.
