Skybound Entertainment, the creator-focused, multiplatform entertainment company behind mega-hit franchises The Walking Dead and the Rotten Tomatoes “100% Certified Fresh” adult animated series Invincible, have partnered with tech company Those Beyond to pioneer an immersive form of fan engagement through a trilogy of cryptic puzzles called The Walking Dead: Solve to Survive, centered around Robert Kirkman’s iconic IP, exclusively for the company’s fan loyalty program Skybound Insiders.
This will be the first global franchise on Those Beyond’s social gaming platform where fans will engage in ‘Mass Community Play’ to connect with one another through role-play, interactive chat, and puzzle-solving activities. The first game launches in late May on Skybound Insiders, with the subsequent two games arriving in June and July, culminating in activations at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC). Throughout the three months, participants will have the opportunity to win exclusive The Walking Dead prizes, limited edition merch, and unlock Skybound Insiders points.
Skybound has a proud history of community engagement with their nearly 100 million fans, from showcasing at globally attended conventions like SDCC, New York Comic Con, PAX East, Gen Con, and more, to offering exclusive perks, content, and access to creators through their newly minted Insiders loyalty and engagement program, a tier-style loyalty program to build and amplify fandom. The program is free to join and based entirely on engagement, i.e. the more a user engages in and shares Skybound content, like trailers, articles, comic book first-looks, and other exclusive media, the more value they earn in the form of points toward cool perks, access to events and opportunities to engage with the creators they love.
“It is rare to witness a new way for fans to engage in the worlds they love that creates a space for them to stay long-term, and we’re elated to be doing that through Insiders and our partnership with Those Beyond. Solve to Survive will be the first real immersive gaming experience on the Insiders platform, and we couldn’t be more excited to see how the fans react. We first saw Those Beyond’s technology last year – we all agreed that ‘if we are all enjoying this in Skybound HQ, then our fans are going to just love it,’” said Will Kassoy, Head of Consumer Strategy at Skybound.
Mark Warrick, CEO of Those Beyond, said, “Our goal is to create social spaces that feel as captivating as the IPs they’re based on. The wait time for fans between the next TV series or blockbuster film can be years and a fan base yearns to still be a part of their favorite worlds over this dormant time. We are cultivating a long-term social destination for audiences to be immersed within and couldn’t be happier over 2024 to pioneer it alongside Skybound with their groundbreaking IPs.”
Fans can sign up to be the first to receive updates about the games, as well as ensure early access by registering as a Skybound Insider now.
