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While we wait for Universal Pictures’ horror-comedy Renfield to sink its fangs into the big screen on April 14 – tickets are on sale now – Bloody Disgusting has learned that Aptos Labs, Forward Studio, and Signal and Cipher are bringing blockchain to the movies with the launch of Free Renfield, an interactive web-based game that could nab you some killer prizes – including a vintage 1967 Dracula pinball machine!
Free Renfield, developed in partnership with Universal, is free to play, accessible on mobile and desktop devices and runs from now until April 20th. Brought to life by the Aptos blockchain, Free Renfield affords fans the opportunity to compete for a chance to be entered to win a variety of Dracula-inspired prizes, including the Renfield digital art collection; auto-generated, individualized prizes that are minted and become a tradable collectible.
The Renfield digital art collection is a series of four designs following the story of Renfield, Dracula’s familiar on his quest to free himself from the clutches of the Prince of Darkness. This series features special poster designs and custom comic art based on key scenes from the Universal Pictures film Renfield. Each piece is tied to different levels of physical and digital prizes one can win by playing the Renfield Sweepstakes.
In the film, Renfield eats bugs to temporarily give himself superhuman powers, which served as the inspiration for Forward Studio creating Free Renfield, an interactive web-based game that allows users to search for bugs, which are starring key characters in the film, for a chance to win Dracula inspired prizes. Players simply look at movie scenes for the hidden bugs, then select the right scene for a chance to win and be entered to win a prize lot worthy of a dark lord.
How to Participate:
- Through the Aptos blockchain, users are challenged to swipe through a series of stylized photos to find the bugs, featured as a key element in the film, for a chance to win auto-generated, individualized prizes that are minted and will become a tradable collectible.
Prizes Available for Eligible Participants:
Prizes awarded to sweepstakes winners will get as close as they can to the story and characters by getting a chance to win…
- Custom jewelry inspired by Dracula’s adornments, digital collectible art inspired by the film as well as custom blood-red velvet suits, 14k carat gold bug jewelry, 9k Dracula crest rings, 14k ruby ring, vintage Dracula film posters and a rare vintage 1967 Dracula horror-themed pinball machine.
When it comes to the digital collectibles, in particular, a key feature will be different unique designs—with four different types of digital collectibles in play…
- Something for all: Everyone who plays regardless of winning will get “The “Renfield Relic,” the movie poster that will be given to anyone who plays the game, regardless of if they have won or not. Users authenticate to play, and unlock the Relic.
Winners drawn at random during the sweepstakes have a chance to win a rare, Ultra Rare, or Legendary digital art collectible.
- The Rare: HE IS MY SERVANT- Comic book scene from the film (8,000 to be won)
- The Ultra-Rare: COLLECTIBLE RENFIELD POSTER- Animated movie poster (1,000 to be won)
- The Legendary: I AM DRACULA- Limited edition comic book scene from the film (only 16 will be won)
“We know audiences just want to be connected. They want story, and fun, and no barriers to connecting with their fandom,” said Greg Reed, Vice President of Technology Partnerships, Universal Pictures. “Our job is to leverage high-performing, scalable networks, like Aptos, that deliver the most unique, engaging, and safe experiences for fans. Our main goal: to bring people closer to the characters and stories they love.”
Bringing the Renfield experience to the broadest group of entertainment fans was realized through a collaboration with Fandango, the ultimate digital network for all things movies that reaches more than 50M unique visitors per month. In addition to being the nation’s top online movie ticketer, Fandango helps extend the fandom of movies to millions of moviegoers through its robust social platforms and direct-to- consumer marketing efforts.
User experience has been an inherent blocker to mainstream adoption of web3. The Free Renfield Challenge will utilize the powerful technology behind the Aptos blockchain to deliver a seamless user experience and compelling interactive fan experience.
“With such a rich story that goes back to the 1800s being told in such a contemporary way, it was such fun territory to highlight that, regardless of what cool tech is out there, it’s still just us humans trying to relate and connect with each other,” said Rachel Noonan, Chief Strategy Officer at Forward. “Without new blockchain technology like Aptos coming into the market to build on the current infrastructure, we wouldn’t be able to push forward with experiences like this that involve fans directly and creatively,” added Sam Schoonover, Founder of Forward.
Experiences like the Free Renfield Challenge built on Aptos are powered by Move, a programming language developed by former Big Tech engineers that uses a more carbon-efficient proof-of-stake consensus method that taps into a network of validators. The result is an immersive fan experience accessible on a global scale and with minimal environmental impact.
“It’s always easy to come up with the idea, but building it with new technology is a different beast. At Signal and Cipher, we’ve seen the power of emerging technologies like virtual production, and the convergence of web2 and web3. We are proud to deliver an immersive fan experience powered by invisible technology and completely integrated into the plot of Renfield,” said Ian Beacraft, Founder, Signal and Cipher.
“When I worked at the movie theater in high school, I used to daydream that I was the star in the latest movies as I swept popcorn off the floor. Now I have the unique opportunity to actually bring this dream to life with the Free Renfield Challenge, a partnership of our high-performing blockchain technology and one of the world’s top studios. Together, we create a world where fans can feel like films are made just for them, which is such a cool addition to the legacy of storytelling and culture.”
Sink your teeth into Free Renfield now!
