Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3: Treasure Hunter Event
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the latest instalment in the multi-million selling Uncharted series, available exclusively for PlayStation 3. Playing as the charismatic fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, players engage in a high-stakes adventure across the globe, from the streets of London to the heart of the Arabian Desert.
The Brief
Uncharted 3 required an exciting pre-launch competition to engage consumers through mainstream media prior to the game's launch. Sponge launched the Uncharted: Treasure Hunter competition, an international search for 20 treasure hunters who would win the opportunity to join the trip of a lifetime - a real life treasure hunt through the Arabian Desert with €10,000 worth of prizes at stake.
What we did
The competition ran in a variety of media outlets across 20 countries. The finalists, along with media from their respective countries, were transported to a traditional Bedouin settlement in Wadi Rum where they began their action-packed treasure hunt through the Arabian Desert. Travelling by jeep, by camel and on foot, the treasure hunters followed a series of clues and challenges, picking up treasure along the way, which would be later traded for prizes. The adventure took them through the stunning landscapes of the Arabian Desert, set against the majestic backdrop of landscape of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Contestants clambered up to the Al Shallaleh waterfall, passed through the Khazali Canyon and stopped off at T.E. Lawrence's house, facing a different challenge at every turn. To ensure the puzzles and challenges reflected the type of activity that the charismatic fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, experiences in the game, Sponge appointed a real-life adventurer and survival expert, John Sullivan, as an adviser on the campaign. Key iconic images from the game, including an overturned jeep and a hand protruding from the sand holding a rifle, were recreated in the desert. The result was a truly unique and thrilling experience for competition winners and media alike.
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