From Sphere to Lego Death Star: An Interactive Transformation
▼ Summary
– The Sphere in Las Vegas debuted its first interactive game on its Exosphere, created in partnership with Lego and Lucasfilm to feature a Lego Star Wars theme.
– The activation promoted the launch of Lego Smart Play, a new interactive platform using Smart Bricks, with its first sets being Lego Star Wars.
– Executives highlighted the shared values of creativity and pushing boundaries between the Lego brand and the Sphere venue.
– The event occurred during CES, leveraging the Sphere’s status as a major landmark and its unique, highly shareable Exosphere for marketing impact.
– This Lego project is intended as the first of many interactive experiences Sphere Studios plans to develop for the Exosphere to attract other brands.
The iconic Sphere in Las Vegas is transforming into a new kind of interactive canvas, launching its first-ever game in partnership with Lego and Lucasfilm. This groundbreaking activation turns the venue’s massive Exosphere display into a Lego brick version of the Death Star, complete with a full-scale Lego X-Wing fighter stationed beside the building. Visitors, including notable figures like New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, were invited to climb into the X-Wing cockpit to experience a simulated trench run from the original Star Wars movie.
This event served as the launch platform for Lego Smart Play, the toy company’s innovative new platform. It utilizes novel Smart Bricks to introduce a layer of digital interactivity to traditional Lego sets. The first themed sets to feature this technology will be from the Lego Star Wars line. The activation was strategically timed for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the massive annual tech and consumer product convention held in Las Vegas.
Marcus Ellington, Executive VP of Ad Sales and Sponships for Sphere, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential. He believes the collaboration will generate excitement not only for the new Lego product but also for the Sphere’s own evolving capabilities. The venue has rapidly become a defining landmark for the city, known both for its internal programming and for the Exosphere itself, which has become a major attraction that visitors and social media users actively seek out and share.
Mike Ilacqua, Head of Product for Lego Star Wars at the Lego Group, highlighted the shared values between the two brands. He noted that Lego Smart Play is built on curiosity, imagination, and pushing boundaries, principles that the Sphere also embodies, albeit on a vastly different physical scale. Ilacqua stated that the Sphere experience captures the core of the Lego brand: inspiring builders of all ages to create, explore, and test the limits of possibility.
For marketers, the sheer physical scale of the Sphere presents a uniquely powerful proposition. Ellington emphasized that the venue’s “one of one” medium allows for unparalleled campaign measurement, tracking social engagement, reach, and performance against other social media efforts. Ilacqua added that the project challenged his team to think bigger, blending physical play, digital interaction, and cinematic scale in a way that elevates storytelling to new heights.
This Lego activation is positioned as just the beginning for Sphere’s interactive ambitions. Ellington confirmed that the company selected Lego as the first brand to pioneer this type of immersive gameplay on the Exosphere. The broader goal is for this showcase to inspire other creative leaders, chief marketing officers, and brands to envision their own unique experiences for the platform, driving forward both creative innovation and brand objectives.
(Source: Hollywood Reporter)
