Recursive delivers interactive Puma Arcade experience for sports brand’s new Las Vegas 25,000 sq ft store

Recursive has wrapped the second instalment of Puma Arcade, the immersive experience it has been refining over the past 18 months; this time in Puma’s new Las Vegas flagship store.

The 25,000 square foot space, which spans three stories, aims to “redefine what it means to be a bricks and mortar location in today's rapidly evolving digital world”.

“I am thrilled that we are opening a state-of-the-art flagship store in Las Vegas as part of our brand elevation strategy. Located along the iconic Las Vegas Strip, this flagship allows us to expand our presence in North America to connect with US consumers and international visitors alike,” says Arne Freundt, Chief Executive Officer at Puma.

“I believe that our new Las Vegas Flagship is essential for conveying the true character of our brand and for creating an immersive, interactive shopping experience as it will redefine in-person shopping by seamlessly merging sports performance, latest fashion trends, and technology.”

The store features a variety of immersive and interactive features powered by technology. It offers customers attractions such as a professional F1 racing simulator, the aforementioned interactive arcade, and a customisation studio where customers can personalise apparel and footwear.

In a LinkedIn post, George Roboz, Head of Creative at Recursive, said: “For this iteration, we’ve created a digital, miniature version of Las Vegas (using mainly Touch Designer and Blender 3D in conjunction with Unreal Engine), complete with recognisable areas and tongue in cheek nods to familiar landmarks.”

“The city brims with passers by, traffic, a working monorail system, soaring jets, passenger planes, and roaring F1 cars - all transporting you into another world. We extended the experience both before and after play, crafting a truly interactive, authentic 21st century interpretation of an arcade environment, for gamers and spectators alike.”

He added: “Our world building reaches beyond the game itself. Graffiti style stickers, mini maps, and other references appear in and outside the digital world, while recurring soundscapes keep the atmosphere alive. Dylan, the Puma mascot, “lives” just outside the immersive room - ready to be summoned in-game (he actually walks into the space with visible footsteps) or simply interacted with at any time. Between games he’s happy to pose for photos and add a fresh layer of authenticity.”

“I’m incredibly proud of how we elevated every aspect of the game in such a short period, focusing on easier engagement, smoother, faster and more captivating gameplay, and enhancing the UI, character controls, and environment with responsive lighting, sounds, and projection.”

“A huge thanks to our entire team for going above and beyond, and a special shout out to Corey Del Zotto (Senior Director Marketing, Brand Experience & Design at Puma) for being the perfect creative partner who understood the challenges and opportunities we faced; offering trust, unwavering support, fresh ideas, and creative freedom with impeccable timing. There’s so much more to share, and we’ll be revealing more details soon.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores were a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last month’s gathering.