Asahi × Manchester City AR
A social-first WebAR penalty-kick game turning Asahi limited-edition cans into stadium portals — built on 8th Wall, deployed across global markets.
Asahi Super Dry × Manchester City WebAR Experience
A social-first browser AR game that transforms Asahi limited-edition cans into portals to the Manchester City stadium — built on 8th Wall and engineered for global, install-free access.
Project Overview
To activate the partnership between Asahi Super Dry and Manchester City, we partnered with Catalyst on a browser-based AR penalty-kick experience. Consumers scan a QR code on Asahi limited-edition cans, an AR scene unfolds on their phone, and they take shots against City defenders — all from a tap, with no app to install.
The campaign rolled out across multiple Asahi markets, with Singapore as a key launch territory where we worked closely with the local team on consumer-facing rollout and in-market troubleshooting.
Role Division: Catalyst led creative direction and brand campaign design. Hyperyond engineered the technical systems — 8th Wall WebAR integration, cross-device compatibility, performance optimization, and the in-market support that kept the activation running smoothly across the Singapore launch.
Technical Solutions
- 8th Wall WebAR runtime tuned for mid-range mobile hardware, with image tracking targeting the Asahi limited-edition can artwork.
- Cross-browser compatibility layer covering iOS Safari, Android Chrome, and the in-app browsers consumers actually open links from — including resolving WeChat-environment edge cases that locked out a meaningful share of Singaporean Chinese users at launch.
- Asset compression and progressive loading so the 3D scene boots fast on mobile data, keeping the scan-to-play flow under the threshold where users drop off.
- Penalty-kick gameplay built on top of the AR scene — input handling, physics tuning, and shot feedback all running in-browser at frame rate.
Technical Achievements
- Shipped a globally accessible, install-free AR brand activation that consumers reach with a single can scan.
- Delivered a robust technical foundation that held up under live, in-market campaign conditions.
- Engineered scalable infrastructure for high-volume marketing campaigns across multiple regions.
Key Features
- Image Tracking: Recognizes Asahi limited-edition cans
- Stadium Portal: Virtual portal to Manchester City's stadium
- AR Penalty Kick: Take shots against Manchester City defenders
- Social Sharing: Share moments and outcomes
- Mobile-First Design: Optimized for smartphone browsers
- Cross-Browser Compatibility: Works across global markets, including in-app browser environments such as WeChat
Technical Implementation
For Catalyst agency, we provided:
- 8th Wall WebAR platform integration
- Cross-device and in-app-browser compatibility engineering (including WeChat)
- Asset compression, lazy loading, and mobile performance tuning
- Image tracking system for can recognition
- AR portal rendering and stadium-scene composition
- Penalty-kick gameplay mechanics
- Live in-market technical support during the Singapore launch