How This Interactive Maze Immersed Guests in the World of 'Ready Player One'

The '80s-theme experience challenges guests to find three "keys" inspired by the new Warner Bros. movie.

March 29, 2018

To promote the release of the new sci-fi film Ready Player One, which hits theaters today, Warner Bros. worked with Experiential Supply Co. to construct a massive interactive maze in an outdoor space on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The 10,000-square-foot pop-up is free and open to the public, running from March 18 to April 1.

Based on the best-selling 2011 novel of the same name, Ready Player One depicts a dystopian future set in Ohio in 2045. To escape the real world, where most people live in vertical trailer parks dubbed “the stacks,” residents use virtual-reality software called the Oasis for work, education, and entertainment. The plot centers around the quest for three keys, which would allow whoever finds them to control the virtual world.

That quest is the center of the immersive, Instagram-friendly experience in Hollywood, which took seven days to install. Upon arrival, guests create a username and are given an R.F.I.D. tracker, then sent inside the maze with clues about the hidden keys. The journey takes them through a variety of distinct rooms, including an '80s-inspired basement with old-school gaming systems and VHS tapes; a psychedelic Rubik’s Cube-theme room; and a disco room featuring live actors as pop culture icons.

Here’s a look inside the challenge.

At the end of the Rubik’s Cube room is a series of hanging mirrors, adding to the psychedelic vibe of the space.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.

The Ready Player One Challenge draws immediate attention from passersby on Hollywood Boulevard with a 40-foot depiction of the stacks—a series of vertical trailers inspired by the movie.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.

After creating a username and receiving an R.F.I.D. bracelet to track their progress, attendees pass by a graffiti mural that depicts scenes from the movie and evokes the challenge's '80s feel.

Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash

Guests can pause for photo ops at the trailers, and then enter the challenge through a secret entrance: a hollowed-out van filled with real props and papers from the movie.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.

The maze challenges guests to find three “keys.” Staffers and wall graffiti remind attendees of the clues—“Search,” “Play,” and “Take the Leap.” All three keys must be found to unlock the door to the final room, which features original props from the film, plus a leaderboard displaying the users who completed the challenge the fastest.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.

In the Ready Player One book and movie, the main character lives in a laundry room and uses the virtual Oasis to escape into a new world. A live actor—one of several who appears throughout the maze—depicts the scene at the entrance to the challenge.

Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash

One room asks guests to search for clues in a Rubik’s Cube-inspired space—which also proved to be a popular spot for selfies.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.

Another space is inspired by a basement in the 1980s, an era the book often references. The room has old-school gaming systems for guests to play, plus wood-paneled walls and other retro details.

Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.