- Move over, guitar heroes. Here comes the gaming flute. Candy brand Skittles is bringing a new kind of controller to the gaming world, in the form of a flute.
- The brand will introduce the “Skittles Gaming Flute,” a real concert flute customized and refitted to function as a gaming controller, during a 72-hour Twitch streaming session with creator PointCrow. During the livestream beginning on March 19, PointCrow’s community will have the opportunity to create gaming challenges like obstacles, rules and unexpected twists.
- The brand is promoting the event with social storytelling that will continue throughout the three-day streaming session.
“At Skittles, we love taking everyday things and turning them into something completely unexpected,” said Ashley Gill, vice president of brand and content marketing at Mars Snacking North America. “[The Gaming Flute] taps into the playful absurdity our fans love, while bringing together two worlds that thrive online: gaming and internet-driven creativity.”
The Gaming Flute is a real concert-hall flute that has been customized and re-engineered to function as a gaming controller, with each key mapped to specific in-game controls, Gill said. “So, instead of using a keyboard or controller, gameplay is triggered through the instrument itself,” she said. “It creates a hilarious challenge because while it’s technically playable, mastering a game with a flute adds a whole new level of difficulty and unpredictability.”
That unpredictability is what led the brand to PointCrow, who has combined gaming with unconventional creative challenges that entertain fans. Through the 72-hour livestream promotion, those fans will be able to guide the action by suggesting new obstacles, rules and twists to make the challenges harder.
“His fans are incredibly participatory and love helping shape the experience in real time, which made him the ideal partner to authentically bring the chaos of kittles into the gaming space,” Gill said. “The idea is to keep the experience evolving with the audience’s creativity. The goal is to keep the energy high while giving the community plenty of opportunities to jump in and shape the chaos.”
