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Scopely’s Monopoly Go has bagged greater than $5 billion in two years up to now.
That’s maybe afforded the developer the chance to get extra inventive with its advertising and marketing pushes and neighborhood activations. In September, Scopely organised its first hybrid neighborhood occasion.
It paired collectively its first free-to-attend real-world meals and sticker buying and selling competition in London, Dough Fest, with a world in-game buying and selling occasion known as Commerce Fest.
The corporate claims the occasion led to file engagement within the UK, attracted tens of hundreds new merchants worldwide, and led to an uplift in social invitations. Particularly, within the UK, Scopely says it noticed double-digit development in natural installs and reactivations, whereas social invitations elevated by 45%. Globally, Commerce Fest drove an 80% improve in buying and selling exercise over the weekend.
To get an thought of why it might select a trading-focused occasion – Scopely says that greater than three billion stickers have been traded within the recreation since launch. Talking to PocketGamer.biz, Scopely VP of regional advertising and marketing for Monopoly Go Sophie Younger says gamers had been clamouring for a approach to carry their in-game social connections into the true world.
It’s value noting that Scopely has soft-launched a Monopoly Go Chat app, too, to assist gamers join additional. The sport’s Discord, in the meantime, has a couple of million members.
“We noticed it in our vibrant Discord communities, within the friendships forming every day, and in how typically gamers expressed their need to fulfill the individuals they’d been buying and selling with for months and even years,” says Younger.
“That perception turned the start line for our first large-scale IRL second. However we additionally knew solely a small fraction of our international viewers would be capable of attend in individual, so it was important that no matter we constructed had a complementary in-game element that allowed everybody to take part.
“That’s why we created Dough Fest, a London-based meals and sticker buying and selling occasion, alongside Commerce Fest, a world in-game occasion the place we doubled sticker buying and selling limits for the primary time throughout the identical weekend.”
Culinary competition
Earlier this 12 months, Scopely acquired Pokémon Go developer Niantic’s video games enterprise in a $3.5 billion deal. The developer is understood for internet hosting ticketed real-world occasions. Did Scopely faucet that experience for Monopoly Go?
“We doubled sticker buying and selling limits for the primary time throughout the identical weekend.”Sophie Younger
“We’ve lengthy admired what Pokémon Go has achieved in pioneering actual world play,” states Younger.
“Their capability to carry individuals collectively by means of shared journey is extraordinary and having that degree of experience inside the Scopely portfolio is inspiring. It offers us entry to precious information about how actual world experiences can deepen participant connection.
“That stated, the spark for Dough Fest got here straight from our personal neighborhood.”
Dough Fest, which occurred in East London’s Truman Brewery (no, not that one), drew from Monopoly Go’s Bon Appétit sticker album from the sport’s Culinary Season, which celebrates dishes across the globe.
The occasion provided out doughnuts from Bread Forward and meals critic Grace Dent, pizza from Napoli on the Highway, and different treats. Dough Fest reached the 1,000 attendee capability, with an extra 8,000 stated to be on the waitlist.
“Past the meals, we constructed interactive moments and devoted sticker buying and selling zones designed to reflect the enjoyment of in-game gathering and buying and selling,” explains Younger.
“We additionally introduced objects from the Bon Appétit album to life – every hero creation turned a collectable in-game sticker connecting actual world style to digital play. Seeing gamers commerce stickers face-to-face for the primary time, many assembly individuals they’d traded with on-line for months, was extremely shifting and completely captured the spirit of the neighborhood.
“To make sure everybody may participate, we paired the competition with our first-ever 48 hour international Commerce Fest, doubling buying and selling limits worldwide. The response was wonderful. Buying and selling exercise surged and we noticed our highest spike in new merchants for 2025. Whether or not they have been at Dough Fest or becoming a member of from residence, gamers all over the place felt a part of one shared celebration.”
“To make sure everybody may participate, we paired the competition with our first-ever 48 hour international Commerce Fest.”Sophie Younger
Younger says there’s an urge for food for extra occasions like this, significantly round buying and selling. The workforce is presently exploring what future real-world experiences may seem like, however it’s too early to share specifics.
“What issues most is creating moments that deepen pleasure and connection for gamers, whether or not these moments occur on-line, offline, or someplace in between,” states Younger.
“As for Pokémon Go, we have now immense admiration for what that workforce has achieved and now we have now the privilege of studying from their actual world play experience. There’s a variety of inventive inspiration there. However this weekend was finally about Monopoly Go and the extraordinary international neighborhood that continues to make it the sport the world performs collectively.”
Extra reporting by Craig Chapple.
