Reese’s Cupfusion
Do Attraction Transformation Better
Hersheypark sought a next-level ride experience that would expand its attraction portfolio, elevate the destination’s competitive profile, and drive attendance. Our challenge was to utilize the infrastructure of an existing attraction and ride system while transforming the assets into new and exciting marketable guest experience. Through the development of an original IP, innovative design, and new technology applications, we created an interactive ride experience with gaming elements never before incorporated in a dark ride attraction. The result? Reese’s Cupfusion is unique within the industry and one of the most popular and highly rated experiences at Hersheypark.
Project Type
Prototypical interactive gaming dark ride
Location
Hersheypark, Hershey, PA, USA
The
Challenge
How can we take an aging existing attraction and ride system and transform it into a marketable asset full of “firsts” for the park, within a finite budget and 24 weeks for the initiation, IP development, concept, schematic, game design, and delivery of all production assets?
The
Approach
Our team led the creative effort to define the attraction, exploring a broad range of practical and creative options and empowering the client to push boundaries with confidence and clarity. The power of the Reese’s brand emerged as the beating heart of the attraction story and we set out to create a brand-authentic experience that transcended product placement as a work of standalone entertainment. To create engagement, we identified interactive gameplay as an essential component of the guest experience.
The
Solution
- Delivered Reese’s Cupfusion, a best-in-class major destination attraction at a regional park price point by innovating prototypical design techniques for the project, including the use of 3D motion picture design and game engine technology to create the illusion of a 3D world using 2D printed imagery and matte paintings.
- Developed an original IP story-driven game experience that rewards both active and passive guest engagement.
- Designed 360-degree interactive ride experience with gaming elements never before before incorporated in an a dark ride attraction.
- Multimedia environment blends large-scale interactive media screens and physical sets with both static and show action game elements.
- Brand partnership between Hersheypark and Reese’s woven into the story with the invention of the “Reese’s Central” factory setting.
- Smart repurposing of existing assets and facility, like track-layout, enabled client to achieve savings and maximize budget.
- Smart repurposing and renovating of the existing assets including facility, track-layout, and ride vehicles enabled client to achieve savings and maximize budget allocations to high impact guest experience elements (such as show sets animation, game play, and quality media).
The Results
Reese’s Cupfusion is a fan favorite among park visitors.
The IP’s reception was such a success that it inspired Hersheypark to retheme the surrounding plaza, including 2 flat rides, a carnival game, and their first attraction-specific themed retail space to the Cupfusion story.
Client's Words
Unique
Features
- Marketable “firsts” for Hersheypark
- World’s first gaming features
- First story-based dark ride
- First media pre-show in queue
- First multimedia interactive gaming attraction
- More forms of gameplay than any other attraction in the world, including:
- Competitive play in each vehicle and between vehicles that share the same gaming area
- Cooperative play, working with your fellow agents to unlock bonus characters and content
- Special “Easter Egg” features
- Fixed and motion-based physical targets
- Small and large media targets of varying levels of difficulty
- Intermittent media based targets
- High level of character and target density
- Multiple levels of agency, narrative, discovery and variability to ensure maximum challenge and satisfaction on multiple rides
- Multilevel gameplay for young and old, newbies and experienced gamers
Our
Scope
- IP development
- Concept and story development, full attraction and pre-show scripts
- Concept, schematic, and detailed design of show set and props
- All ride and show graphics
- Character design
- Gameplay mechanics & special features
- Ride vehicle redesign and gaming device design
- Storyboards, animatics, pre-visualizations, 3D models and wireframes
- All production assets delivered as 1:1 digital files
- Over digital 3,000 files delivered in 24 weeks to Sally Dark Rides
- Delivered and supported all market and promotional assets
- Owner representation
- Site reviews and comments
- Coordination with Hershey executive management and project directors
- Oversight of Sally Dark Rides during fabrication, technology development, media production, installation, programming, and commissioning phases
- Show Quality Systems (SQS) Recommendations S recommendations
- Created technology and process to deliver the the illusion of a 3D world using 2D printed imagery and matte paintings
- Provided all marketing assets
More Work
With a desire to extend the seasonality of the park, we collaborated with the Hersheypark team on creating the park’s first indoor roller coaster. Our solution? Laff Trakk—an indoor, spinning “glow-coaster”, the first of its kind in the U.S., combining a high speed thrill ride with an immersive dark ride environment, taking guests on a fast-paced, unpredictable journey through the bright larger-than-life fantasia of a classic American fun house.