Situation:

Fortnite has become a playground and the gate for brands to enter the gaming community and reach Gen Z.

Brief:

BMW wanted to stage the fully electric BMW iX2 in a fresh and unseen way and reach a young target group with an affinity for technology and playful design.

Objectives:

The objectives were A) to create a positive impact within the Fortnite community by B) speaking their language and using their cultural codes C) to be accepted by the community and become an authentic part of the culture in the long term.

BMW created the first Car Creator, where Fortnite players could customize a car for the first time—not just a regular car but the fully electric BMW iX2 even before its world premiere.

There, the community could play around with original BMW iX2 car modifications and also add fantasy items like burger rims, galaxy paint, and dwarf bombs.

To gain access to the Car Creator, players first had to do what they love most—complete epic quests. Guided by the electric mechanic "Julia" (BMW's own Fortnite character), they had to pass three mini-games in BMW's futuristic electronic city, "Hypnopolis."

Thousands of brands have collaborated with Fortnite in the past. And almost every brand integration did the same—creating an exclusive custom skin set that players can win or purchase. BMW wanted to give the community something that resonates with their culture and really fulfills a need—and found the perfect sweet spot: Fortnite players have a huge passion for customizing skins, weapons, hats, and nearly everything else. But there was one thing they couldn't customize at that time—cars.

So, instead of just another "skin collaboration," BMW created the first Car Creator, where Fortnite players could customize a car for the first time.

As no comparable car configurator had been invented yet, the BMW Car Creator had to be developed from scratch and constantly tested for functionality.

Firstly, the BMW iX2's model data had to be transferred to Fortnite's world while remaining true to the original without straying too far from Fortnite's aesthetic. In addition, Fortnite's weekly patch updates made the development of Hypnopolis more difficult, meaning that it often had to be restarted.

Apart from that, elements of the Fortnite universe and narrative were carefully incorporated into the project, such as the Burger Rims or the popular Galaxy Paint, always making sure that they were authentically and meaningfully integrated into the Hypnopolis storyline and Car Creator.

"Hypnopolis" reached 97,717 players in the first month, who collectively spent an average of 30 minutes on the map. Added up, that's a total play time of more than three years. Plus, not only gamers but also true BMW enthusiasts were impressed by the Car Creator, which created over 10.8 million impressions on BMW-owned channels. Furthermore, big Fortnite streamers like Loeya, Formula, Sushibae, and Chica joined the Car Creator adventure, which generated about 3.3 million views in total.