Building on the success of previous collaborations with Fresh TV and TELETOON Canada, the agency was approached to work on a web game experience for the new animated show, Grojband. The main objectives for the project were:

1. Create an engaging property for kids 8-12 years old that allows them to create content that can be featured online and on-air.
2. Engage users through a voting mechanism that influences the on-air broadcast.
3. Create a digital component that has a life beyond the airing of the episodes.
4. Create an experience that aligns well with the tone of the show and showcases its characters.
5. Create games that could live separately on the TELETOON games page, with the option of future deployment on mobile platforms.

Working closely with show creators Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton, along with the TV producers at Fresh TV, we produced Grojband – The Show Must Go On! The centerpiece of the site is the “Wicked Cool Transition Builder”, where kids design transitions with a similar look and feel to the ones seen on the TV show. Users customize their transitions using a library of effects, objects, sounds and voices, which they can expand on by playing games on the site and unlocking additional content. Kids are awarded points for building cool transitions, leading to placement on the on-site leaderboard, and inspiring repeat play and a sense of friendly competition.

Fans also compete by submitting their own “Wicked Cool Transitions” for a chance to be featured on-air during the run of the actual show broadcast. The user community helps determine which transitions are used on-air by voting on shortlisted submissions throughout the run of the series.

Moderated transitions are also featured as transitional pieces between 52 web-exclusive Grojband mini-scenes, rewarding the players for their engagement and extending the show’s narrative online. On the site, users can also play three custom-designed games, Legends of Mount Rocklympus, Water You Doing? and Battle of the Bands. These games feature the GrojBand characters and reflect the themes of the show and its wacky sense of humour. By playing games users earn ‘guitar picks’ – an online currency for purchasing items at the ‘GrojBand Store’ to customize their transitions and make them as awesome as possible! These three games were built in Unity and designed in such a way that allows for future deployment on mobile devices.

Catering to the Canadian demographic, and to allow for future licensing/versioning to the international territories, the site is available in English and French. While the site is currently only accessible to Canadian users, it has seen an amazing response in its first few months online.

In the first three months, the site has received:

• 253,509 Game plays
• 135,500 Visits
• An outstanding average time on site of 7.5 minutes per user.
• 6,215 Submitted “Wicked Cool Transitions.”