In a world first for Minecraft, thousands of Australian fans recently experienced the best-selling video game of all time like never before.

The BIG W exclusive in-store Minecraft Scavenger Hunt game incorporated many of Minecraft’s favourite characters and was developed with challenges for players to explore, problem-solve and use their skill to complete the hunt, bringing all the excitement of the game to life for the first time in a retail environment.

The Minecraft Scavenger Hunt game experience featuring QR code and augmented reality technology began at the entrance of each store and required players, with the use of clues, to identify, locate and scan Minecraft characters on point of sale throughout the store to solve the puzzle.  Upon completion, players were rewarded with a $5 discount redemption code to use when purchasing Minecraft products online.

Fully supported in-store with point-of-sale standees, wings and floor decals, the Minecraft Scavenger Hunt was also heavily promoted via BIG W’s website and catalogue.  A one-stop shop for all things Minecraft, BIG W stocks a full range of Minecraft branded products including toys, apparel, homewares, publishing, footwear and accessories.

The Minecraft Scavanger Hunt was an exclusive retail experience and web-based game which was created by Microsoft, Canada’s Intergalactic and Minecraft’s Australian and New Zealand licensing agency, Merchantwise Licensing.  Minecraft Scavenger Hunt creative including the in-store and online creative assets were developed by Australian creative agency, Three Scoops.

“We are thrilled to have launched this worldwide landmark Minecraft Scavenger Hunt experience in Australia at BIG W.  A true world first, over 5,000 Australians completed the in-store experience that, like the game, required them to explore and problem-solve.  Not only was the Minecraft Scavenger Hunt supported in-store with game point of sale, but BIG W’s extensive product range truly made it a one stop shop for all things Minecraft,” said Minecraft Retail Director, Bob Brennecke.

“BIG W is committed to creating retail experiences that excite our customers both in-store and online.  Minecraft has a massive fan base in Australia, and we are proud to be the first retailer in the world to deliver an event of this kind,” said BIG W’s Head of Commercial – Toys & Leisure, Christine Faulkner.

Licensing Agency: Merchantwise Licensing

Creative Agency: Three Scoops

Digital Agency: Intergalactic

Minecraft leads:

Bob Brenneke – Retail Director

Katie Penza – Senior Global Marketing Manager

BIG W leads:

Christine Faulkner – Head of Commercial – Toys & Leisure

Ruchi Agarwal – Marketing Manager

ABOUT MINECRAFT

With over 132 million monthly unique Minecraft players engaged across
all platforms and over 200 million copies sold worldwide, Minecraft is
the best-selling video game in history. The Minecraft franchise continues to reach new players through an expanding line of consumer products, core game updates, new games and the Minecraft Marketplace with the amazing content created by its vibrant and growing community. “Minecraft: Education Edition” is a special version of the game designed for schools and educational settings, supporting 21st century learning across subjects from coding to chemistry.

ABOUT MICROSOFT

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

ABOUT MOJANG STUDIOS

Mojang Studios are best known for developing Minecraft. In 2014, Mojang Studios joined Xbox Game Studios to continue work on Minecraft and bring their vision, creative energy and innovative mindset to the development of future games starting with “Minecraft Dungeons” and “Minecraft Earth”.

ABOUT BIG W

BIG W is an Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of Woolworths Group and as at 2019 operated 182 stores, with around 22,000 employees across Australia and Asia.

ABOUT MERCHANTWISE LICENSING

Merchantwise Licensing is a leading gaming and entertainment licensing agency in Australia and New Zealand, representing some of the world’s best loved brands and developing compelling brand extensions, promotions and retail programs for consumers of all ages.