Hovercraft

CrunchyrollGachiakuta Anime Expo

Anime Expo — Los Angeles, CA / Tokyo, Japan

The Crunchyroll booth at Anime Expo under red light, with the Gachiakuta area on the right

Overview

Inspired by the Gachiakuta storyline, we created this Trash As Treasure scavenger experience where fans searched through a large bin of ‘trash’, selecting their favorite piece to then scan at a collection desk to reveal random prizes. We RFID tagged each trash element and built a CMS that randomly assigned prizes. The space featured responsive lighting, haptics, sound, and screen content to enhance the experience.

Scope

  • Concept Development
  • Art Direction
  • Experiential Design
  • Game Design
  • Brand Design
  • Animation
  • Creative Technology
  • Software Development
  • AI & Machine Learning
  • Real Time Rendering
  • Custom Hardware Integration
  • Creative Production
  • Production Management
  • Fabrication & Install
Fans, one in white-haired cosplay, queueing under the Gachiakuta sign and a tower of trash props
Fans looking up at the trash props beneath the lit Gachiakuta sign
The trash pit, a yellow crate-like bin, beside a Gachiakuta character cutout and a wall of anime posters
Fans in cosplay gathered around the Gachiakuta pit
Fans with Crunchyroll tote bags at the yellow trash pit in front of the Gachiakuta wall
A storyboard of the guest journey: digging through the pit, picking an item, scanning it at the desk and seeing its reward

The goal of the game was to uncover one unique item from the pit and scan it to reveal its story. Each item tied into the narrative world of Gachiakuta, unlocking clues and introducing fans to a new universe and IP. Successful players received a premium keepsake, blending physical reward with deeper story immersion.

4
Days
10k
Total scans
A 3D render of the booth from the front: a container wall of Gachiakuta character panels under a tower of trash
A 3D render of the booth from the side, showing the trash pit and the collection desk
A 3D render of the booth from the corner, with a “Crawl back from the abyss of Hell” panel
A render of the booth interior, with character panels for Zanka and Riyo beside a large anime screen
“The Crunchyroll booth at Anime Expo was trash.”

–The Shumi Company

A laptop on site running the booth’s software, showing a render of the booth