Nike X LEGO: Rewrite the Rules

Challenge

For 70% of kids ages 13+, organized sports begin to lose their appeal as the freedom of play is replaced by the pressure to win. Our partners at AKQA saw an opportunity to bring back that feeling of unbound energy through an experience that would allow self expression to combine with physical activity. Inside five Kids Footlockers, Nike and LEGO would assemble interchangeable basketball courts for shoppers to play on when visiting the store. Each court would be fitted with a digital touchscreen where the user could enter their name, and select the rules of their game for a truly personalized experience. With play through lasting two minutes, a countdown timer and the player’s rules would be displayed on screen for other guests in the store to join in.

Solution

Taking inspiration from the iconic LEGO bricks, our playful team of creatives designed the full rule building system that allowed users to easily scroll through a variety of choices, and bring their hoop dreams onto a real basketball court. Intuitive UI and transition animations made gameplay set up quick and fun, allowing multiple users the chance to experience the court while shopping the exclusive range. We then passed the ball to our development team who built and loaded the rule builder into a free standing touch screen so that users could create independently.

Impact

Visitors at participating stores were inspired to think big 
and move boldly. Played on hoops built up with thousands 
of LEGO bricks, inventive young minds from across the country found countless new ways to revamp the sport. 
With 522 unique rule combinations, Nike and LEGO didn’t 
just fit kids with new gear, they empowered them to never stop having fun.