Published April 30th, 2023
Anyone who has redesigned a website knows the last mile is the longest; putting on the finishing touches and throwing the switch to replace the old site with the new one is among the more stressful aspects of the process.
Bi-coastal creative company Brand New School has designed a novel solution to the risk of website downtime by launching an original browser-based video game, Brand New Game, in conjunction with the rollout of its redesigned website.
“We know there are usually a few kinks to be worked out once a new site is live. But no one wants to see a “Pardon Our Dust’ page,” says BNS Creative Director Chloë Greene. “Rather than cross our fingers and hope for zero disruptions, we decided we’d build a fun diversion into the process.”
Adds BNS Executive Creative Director and Director Chris Dooley, “Reframing a roadblock as an opportunity to have fun or discover something new felt like a very New School-thinking approach to a lifeless ‘Coming Soon’ page. Brand New Game is an expression of that impulse. So instead of saying, “Come back later,” Brand New Game is literally saying, “Stay and play!”
The result is a nostalgic 8-bit video game that is as charming in its simplicity as it is addictive. Brand New Game opens with a scroll down through a pixelated 8-bit sky to a cityscape where we meet our avatars, Johnny Applesauce and his pet worm Linus Wormser, as they prepare to enter Brand New School (flying the BNS flag, of course.) Grounded in the “school” theme, the game’s objective is to collect as many red apples as possible.
Read more in the articles below covering Brand New School's Brand New Game, and play the game here.
