Brief:
Uber partnered with EssenceMediacom, Livewire and Special to reframe how Australians think about mobility and freedom. The objective was to transform the passenger experience inside Uber rides and create a more engaging reason for light users to choose Uber over driving during the high-demand Christmas period. The campaign needed to turn idle travel time into something active, entertaining and culturally relevant for gaming audiences.
Solution:
Livewire helped transform Uber’s owned app environment into Uber Backseat Arcade, an immersive in-app gaming experience available exclusively during active rides.
Passengers could play retro-inspired games including Snake, Meteors and Brick Breaker directly inside the Uber app, turning transit time into interactive entertainment. Gameplay was designed around average ride durations and rewarded players with discounts on future trips, encouraging repeat usage and deeper engagement.
The experience was amplified through Discord communities, gaming media and in-game advertising across titles including Fortnite, Valorant, Rocket League and The Sims Mobile, reaching audiences where gaming culture already thrives.
In just two weeks, the campaign delivered:
- 20,000 active users
- 78% engagement rate
- 42% in-app click-through rate
By transforming a functional utility into a gaming platform, Uber Backseat Arcade demonstrated how brands can use play to create stronger engagement, cultural relevance and measurable business impact.
