Walmart Unlimited gamified mini-series ends with a bang as episode three pulls in over one million players

Last month, Walmart Unlimited, a gamified mini-series, served up a third and final chapter.

This made its debut earlier in the year, brought to you by Walmart, Unity and Spatial in collaboration with animators and producers Martian Blueberry and game development studio PIGIAMA KASAMA.

The first episode introduced characters inspired by Walmart’s real-life suppliers, including A Dozen Cousins founder Ibraheem Basir.

It was the US retail giant’s latest attempt to tap immersive commerce - a form of online shopping that combines VR with 3D visualisations and gamification - to connect with the next generation of consumers.

In the third episode, players joined Jabari, an aspiring artist guided by the Young Kings founder, as he journeyed through a sci-fi dreamscape to find elixirs and unlock his crown. Along the way, they faced new challenges and also discovered shoppable beauty and self-care products woven into the adventure.

"With over 1.2 million players and an average in-game time of more than 35 minutes, our gamified series has exceeded expectations," says Matteo Fanchin, Co-founder at PIGIAMA KASAMA.

"For the first time, immersive storytelling, action gameplay, and real product discovery converge in a multi-platform branded experience - built entirely on Spatial and playable on any device."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Gamification will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, 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 November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.