What Was That Giant QR Code in the Shanghai Sky?
On April 17, 1,500 drones took flight over Shanghai, assembling in a huge aerial dance and arranging into shapes of cartoon princesses. Part of the event featured a giant scannable QR code in the sky, something which prompted some major discussion online.
Organized by Bilibili, the scene was a marketing stunt created to celebrate the one year anniversary of the mobile game Princess Connect! Re:Dive.
Originally developed by the Japanese company Cygames, Princess Connect! Re:Dive was launched domestically in April 2020. The game had 6.5 million pre-registrations and topped the list of most-downloaded iOS games at the time of its launch. Its success is another sign of the growing popularity of Japanese ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) culture domestically.
At one point, the drones came together to form a massive QR code in the sky. Fans could instantly download the game’s one-year-anniversary edition by scanning the giant floating code with their phones.
The creative installation isn’t new for Bilibili — last year, the company plastered a huge QR code across their office building without explanation. The eye-catching gesture worked, as curious passersby scanned the code and downloaded the game.
Watching hundreds of drones assemble an advertising call-to-action in the sky, it becomes clear that the future is now, and it might be unsettling for some.
All images courtesy of Bilibili