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The Walking Dead Doubles Down on AR with Another Mobile App

Sep 6, 2017 07:45 PM

It seems like it was just last week that AMC and Next Games unveiled their location-based zombie game based on hit TV series The Walking Dead. (Wait, actually it was just last week.)

But, just like a walker seeking fresh flesh, AMC is back this week with another AR mobile app to promote the upcoming eighth season of the series.

With The Walking Dead Encounter app for iOS or Android, fans can scan specially-marked packages of Mountain Dew or commercials from the brand during the show to unlock animations of various walkers.

While the approach is hardly novel, AMC and Mountain Dew earn points for making the walkers appear in an unexpected fashion (just like on the show).

"With our partners at Mountain Dew, we've built something that includes extensive visibility for our series, closely aligned with their product, and the augmented reality app merges the real world, the world of the show and a popular beverage in an incredibly powerful and shareable way," said Scott Collins, president of advertising sales for AMC Networks, in a statement.

The app checks all the boxes for a sponsored augmented reality experience. Scan branded packaging? Check. See virtual objects in the real world? Done. Save a photo or video with the virtual object? Yup. Share on social media? You bet. Gotta catch'em all? Oh yeah.

Unlocked walkers can be captured on camera.

Moreover, for fans of the show, this AR experience provides some instant gratification until The Walking Dead: Our World game arrives. In fact, they can start by scanning the product images below.