NEW YORK—CBS has taken its inaugural step into the metaverse with the launch of an immersive experience for fans of the comedy series “Ghosts” in the popular metaverse game Decentraland, a leading next-generation Web3 gaming platform.
The game will be accessible through September via www.ghostsmetaverse.com (opens in new tab).
The experience, which was developed in collaboration with Web3 marketing agency CreativeDepartmint, takes fans and their self-designed avatars on an immersive journey through the show’s haunted Woodstone Mansion to solve puzzles, undertake quests and earn limited edition, collectible NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).
The effort is designed to promote the return of “Ghosts” for its sophomore season in the fall. Ghosts was TV’s #1 new series in the 2021-22 season and the #1 comedy on Paramount+, CBS said. .
“We are continually looking for innovative ways to further develop new audiences for CBS programming, and our hit series `Ghosts’ with its significant following, wide-ranging otherworldly characters and expansive setting, seemed like a natural fit for the metaverse,” said Mike Benson, president and chief marketing officer at CBS. “This super engaging and elaborate Web3 `Ghosts’ game in Decentraland brings the series to life in an exciting way that’s never been done, enabling visitors to each have their own very unique experience while exploring the world of the show.”
The “Ghosts” metaverse activation is part of CBS’ “Summer of GHOSTS” immersive marketing campaign honoring the “recently departed” first season and its upcoming sophomore season this fall, CBS said.
This includes city in-person events throughout the summer celebrating the spirited title characters and living leads of the show. As part of the promotions and marketing effort, each character is being honored with distinctive “to die for” activations, bringing their individual worlds and stories into the here and now with a variety of in-person events, stunts and experiences, CBS said.
“Since we opened our doors, CreativeDepartmint has been bringing major media brands into innovative spaces like Web3 to surprise and delight existing fans and attract new audiences to their IP with authenticity and style,” said Jonathan Block-Verk, founder of CreativeDepartmint. “We’re thrilled to help CBS enter the metaverse with the first-ever Decentraland game built by a U.S. network.”
CreativeDepartmint worked closely with the Web3 platform Moonwalk to deliver the collectible NFTs, and collaborated with renowned metaverse studio TerraZero to create an unforgettable Decentraland experience.
“Entertainment has been driving metaverse adoption globally, and Decentraland is excited to have an institution like CBS enter the metaverse and bring a new type of immersion from the TV world,” said Adam de Cata, head of partnerships at Decentraland Foundation.
A YouTube video of the experience is available here (opens in new tab).
