Attendees at Comic-Con have come to expect immersive experiences and credible representations of their favorite programs. The Abigail Experience at San Diego’s 5th Avenue Pier during Comic-Con 2016 with its interactive games and technology offered a personalized “Fear the Walking Dead” journey based around survival. The activation generated press and encouraged tune-in for the second half of season two of the AMC series.
A replica “The Abigail” luxury yacht, a key location in the show’s storyline, featured artifacts from the set and supplemental scenic pieces along with five gaming engagements that put attendees in control of their own fate along the activation journey. Participants received a personalized TOPPS trading card showing their survival classification based on the cumulative results from all of the games.
The game “Hard Choices” had attendees make split-second decisions using video cues from the show on a touch screen TV, replicating the make-or-break choices the show’s characters are forced to make. Another game, “Know Your Enemies,” forced fans to cut the rope on one of three boats, deciding who to save and who to let fend for themselves. In the “Overtaken” game, fans with laser-tag guns took down “walkers” (zombies) on the bow and stern of the ship. In the final game, fans navigated their own ship to evade enemy boats using a radar system and old yacht throttles reconfigured into game controllers. Supporting story lines, scripts, characters, audio pieces and visuals accompanied the games.
A meticulous integration of RFID technology interfaced with Comic-Con badges for easy scoring and an interactive experience that drove p.r. buzz and encouraged attendance at The Abigail. Wait times averaged 3.5 hours, demonstrating its strong demand among this discerning crowd.