HBO Max is on fire as it gears up for the release of its blockbuster prequel to “Game of Thrones.” Fans can feel like they are part of the adventure as they raise their own winged terror with the new augmented reality (AR) game “House of the Dragon: DracARys.”
A month before the premiere of “House of the Dragon,” the long-awaited prequel that many fans hope will rehabilitate their favorite franchise, HBO Max is turning up the fun with a new AR game, “House of the Dragon: DracARys.” The game allows players to steal a dragon egg from Westeros to raise it on their own.
The dragon, appearing through the player’s phone or tablet screen, will grow, eat, sleep and even follow commands. The pets are unique to each player, and as they grow they will go through several life phases as established by George R.R. Martin’s catalog of Westeros history. Eventually, the beasts will become so immense they leave the nest, traversing the globe and interacting with other dragons as they go. Fans will also have the opportunity to learn High Valerian, training their dragons with key phrases learned from the show.
“We can’t wait for fans to engage with DracARys and further immerse themselves in the world of Westeros,” said Victor Pineiro, Director of Digital Innovation at HBO Max. Pineiro feels the technology provides the most interactive virtual pet experience ever created and will draw viewers into the world of “House of the Dragon” like no other show before.
Kevin Young, who served as the project lead on the game, attempted to recreate the feelings that viewers experience when watching Dragons glide into the Westeros horizon.
“With DracARys we wanted users to experience those moments of awe and wonder in the context of their everyday lives,” he said. “Our ambitions are to complement the world of Westeros and the mythology of the show in an enriching way, while pushing the boundaries of what is possible with virtual characters existing in mixed realities.”
This isn’t the first time that HBO Max has stepped into the AR market. In a promotional event surrounding the release of “Finding Magic Mike,” the streamer released a virtual “strip club” where players could interact with contestants in their virtual forms, and could even make it rain pink dollar bills as well as toast the act on stage.
Watch the Official ‘House of the Dragon: DracARys’ Trailer
House of the Dragon
The Targaryen dynasty is at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins when King Viserys breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.