Every year, streets in Cologne and Munich transform for Karneval, filling with color, costumes and celebration as people from all over Germany, and the world, come together. This year, we saw an opportunity to meet our audience right in the middle of that energy and invite them into the playful world of Two Dots.

Our goal was to create an experience that fit natively into the spirit of Karneval, blending real-world revelry with in-game adventure through a localized scavenger hunt campaign designed to spark curiosity and connection. At the heart of the activation was a simple challenge and one familiar to anyone attending Karneval: find the pretzels.

Through playful prompts appearing on multiple screens placed along high-traffic Karneval routes in Cologne and Munich, as well as short motion ads looped throughout the day, catching the attention of passersby already in a festive mood and inviting them to step into a puzzle was a way to bring the fun of Two Dots to life.

But the experience didn’t stop on the street. The visuals also tied directly into a Karneval-themed in-game Scavenger Hunt running from February 4-24 in Two Dots, creating a seamless transition from IRL celebration to mobile play. With QR codes and custom product pages localized in both German and English, players could move effortlessly from spotting pretzels on billboards to solving puzzles on their phones.

To deepen engagement, we activated nine German content creators who went live during the event, sharing their Karneval adventures and gameplay through Instagram Stories with trackable links that led directly into the game. These influencers helped amplify momentum and bring the experience to life for their communities.

The result was a campaign that fit naturally into a cultural moment. By syncing street-level storytelling with in-app gameplay, influencer energy and tailored media, we created a rewarding extension of Karneval itself.

Two Dots is about finding joy in discovery and bringing that spirit to Germany’s most joyful celebration reminds us how powerful it can be when games step out of the screen and into the real world, particularly when there are soft, savory pretzels involved.

• Yair Melamed, Senior Vice President, Games