Ultraboost Runner (Adidas Ultraboost 20 Promo Game)
This project was something I worked on at Midwest Immersive. Ultraboost Runner was a promotional endless-runner game that we created for Adidas to use in a few early 2020 conventions / festivals, with the goal of creating something flashy & on-brand to attract people to the Adidas booth.
Description:
In Ultraboost Runner, the player stands on a physical mat that can detect footsteps, which is in front of a large vertical TV. The player’s goal is to run as far as possible - which they do by running in place. The game gets progressively harder and requires players to lean on their left foot only or their right foot only. This becomes very difficult as Ultraboost Runner goes on because by sending a lot of quick turns at the player, the game effectively shakes them off the mat.
Ultraboost Runner randomly generates the player’s path as they’re running through it. It generates more / harsher turns the longer the game is played.
My Role:
My role in this project was in it’s design and development. I prototyped and pitched the game to my employer and Midwest Immersive, which in turn got pitched to Adidas. Once we had a deal, I finished designing the game, developed the project, handled sound design, and did a small amount of 3D modeling (the bulk of the modeling work was handled by another member on our team). I made sure to develop the project in a way that was quickly adaptable to changes - if there’s anything that I’ve learned from developing software for clients, it’s that last minute changes will hit you hard and quick if you’re not prepared.
Ultraboost Runner was created to be a short and exclusive experience.
By design it was meant to entertain players only for a short amount of time while communicating a basic message - in this case, speed. I designed this game with the goal of making it feel like you’re moving super quick to help get that message across.
Why it’s important:
This project was developed for Adidas, which is the main reason it’s important to me. Ultraboost Runner was the product of my initial design and a negotiation of what the client wanted out of it - and I’m proud of that product.
