CHALLENGE

Best Buy needed to deliver both engaging content and high brand exposure for their new web magazine targeting hardcore gamers. A game seemed like the obvious choice for these male consumers who spend more time fragging aliens and racing digital cars than watching television. But these guys had seen it all - the challenge was to do something unexpected.

STRATEGY

Fuel added spin to the classic style of gameplay that hardcore gamers are used to from the heyday of arcade gaming, allowing them to enjoy an updated blast from the past.

CREATIVE & EXECUTION

The storyline is classic arcade, defend the Earth by launching a preemptive strike on the alien homeworld. Start taking down the enemies on the from the surface of their world and then into their planetary system. Many of the background wallpapers, set against vast glowing galaxies and luminous planets, are as beautiful as Hubble photography, encouraging users to keep the branded backgrounds once the game as been closed.

New gameplay elements and functionality were added to the classic top-down shooter format that began with arcade games like Invaders, including the ability to unlock flight direction by using more keys (making it more challenging for the hardcore players), and the ability to call in support from a fixed turret gun by collecting special powerups.

The biggest twist, however, was that the game draws on the powerful resources of their computers to create an incredibly fast arcade game that has alien ships flying amongst their icons, and them defending their desktop as mother ships scream in above the wallpaper. As each level is cleared, a new environment appears as wallpaper.

PERFORMANCE

While download data is confidential, the innovation of desktop branding games has peaked the interest of both Strategy Magazine and Adweek.