We wanted to use the inspiration and concept of the throwback video game, The Oregon Trail, to bring the Denver Nuggets' schedule to life in a creative and engaging way. We came up with marquee matchups and "obstacles" that our top 3 players would face along the journey to the playoffs. We wanted to tie in sports and video games for this highly anticipated release.
This was a complete team effort to tie the biggest games on our schedule into a throwback video game. We collaborated and brainstormed as a team to come up with what the “video game” would look like and how the Nuggets brand would tie into the look and feel. Some of the critical features we showcased were the storyline and “obstacles” the characters faced along the way. For each match-up on our schedule, we determined what our players would "face" on the trail on their way to each game and what they would have to "defeat" to get to the next opponent. Our designers had to create each background, character, and element with the same feel as The Oregon Trail, which took a lot of time and attention to detail. From our graphics team to our motion designer, this "game" came to life and allowed our future season “story” to be told in a captivating way with the style and flare of a video-game.
Schedule release day comes with a lot of creativity from across the entire NBA, each team often going in a very different direction. Our old-school-style animation caught our audience's attention. No other team had a similar approach, which allowed this intricately crafted video to stand out!