GameStop takes gamification to a new level

As retailers increasingly use gamification to drive customer engagement and growth, GameStop is taking the concept to new heights with its latest promotion.

The retailer is teaming up with Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment and Google Maps to turn city streets into monster tracking courses ahead of the May 19 launch of Warner Brothers and CD PROJEKT RED’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

In this digital pursuit, GameStop shoppers will experience the exploration and great detail seen in the fantasy world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as they spot characters from the game in real-world locations and seek monsters for prizes.

“We are excited to partner with WB, CD PROJEKT RED and, of course, Google, to bring this experience to life,” said Frank Hamlin, chief marketing officer at GameStop. “This program is the first of its kind for GameStop and we are having fun dipping our toe into new waters, especially waters filled with monsters.”

The Monster Hunt will be hosted on GameStop.com (www.gamestop.com/witcher3), and will be easy to play on a desktop. It leverages the Google Maps API and Javascript API alongside the Street View function to transform a Google Map into a live race to find monsters hidden at historic and exotic locales all over the globe. From there, players can start their chase for 100 monsters and a chance to win one of 100 $50 GameStop gift cards.

Here's how it will work for players:

• Once a hunter logs in and confirms they are over 18, they will be able to hunt for monsters

• Any area or city that has Google Street View is fair game

• Hunters can go to a location via the Google Map and then select the Google Maps Street View icon and drag it to anywhere they want to go before dropping in to hunt

• Once a hunter is near a monster in Google Maps Street View, a blood trail will appear, indicating they are getting closer to their prey

• Once a monster is found, the hunter will be able to click on the monster

• If they are the first to find the monster they will win a $50 GameStop gift card

• If they are not the first to find the monster, they can continue their hunt for another monster and another chance to win

GameStop will offer hints through its social channels (Google+, Facebook and Twitter) for intrepid travelers to follow as they traverse the world.For more information about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and to pre-order, customers can visit a local GameStop store location or www.GameStop.com/witcher3.

Texas-based GameStop Corp. is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer. GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 14 countries.