HBO Max Launches House of The Dragon: DracARys AR App

HBO Max has launched House of the Dragon: DracARys, a new Augmented Reality app to promote the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. The release of DracARys comes on the heels of House of the Dragon's big Comic-Con 2022 appearance, which included a new trailer for the HBO series and the app's official launch. In DracARys, players will get to "hatch" and "raise" their own virtual dragons, with the resulting development of each dragon being totally unique to the type of care each user gives it. To make things even more fun, players will get to speak verbal commands to the dragons in Valyrian (like true Targaryen), using a "bespoke voice recognition system." 

Here are full details about House of the Dragon: DracARys, via WarnerMedia's press release:

In anticipation for the premiere of new HBO Original "House of the Dragon," debuting August 21, HBO Max has launched House of the Dragon: DracARys, the official augmented reality app for the series.

With the app, fans around the world will be able to "hatch" and raise their own virtual dragons at home. Each dragon will be unique to its user, and as it grows it will develop its own look and temperament driven by its keeper's interactions with it, all based on the lore from George R.R. Martin's world. Users will also learn Valyrian words from "House of the Dragon" to command their dragon through a bespoke voice recognition system. Dragons will grow to enormous size, hitting developmental milestones on their way to full adulthood where they will be able to roam the world for other users across the world to see and interact with.

The HBO Max digital innovation and marketing teams collaborated with The Mill's team of artists, technologists, and strategists to develop House of the Dragon: DracARys from scratch using the Unity game engine and powered by Niantic's Lightship technology with immersive sound design by London-based studio, Factory.

"With 'House of the Dragon: DracARys' we have built the most personalized, responsive, virtual creature to ever live on your phone, brought to life in the latest augmented reality technology," said Victor Pineiro, Director, Digital Innovation, HBO Max. "We can't wait for fans to engage with DracARys and further immerse themselves in the world of Westeros."

"When the dragons of Westeros appear on the show it's always a breath-taking, awe-inspiring moment," said Kevin Young, Creative Director at The Mill and Lead Creative on 'House of the Dragon: DracARys. "With DracARys we wanted users to experience those moments of awe and wonder in the context of their everyday lives. Our ambitions are to complement the world of Westeros and the mythology of the show in an enriching way, while pushing the boundaries of what is possible with virtual characters existing in mixed realities," he adds.

"House of the Dragon: DracARys" was first launched exclusively on July 20th at San Diego Comic-Con to attendees of the immersive guided experience "House of the Dragon: The Dragon's Den."

The app is now available to download on Apple and Google Play app stores in 19 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, UK and USA. Additional countries will be announced at a later date.

ABOUT HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
Based on George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," the series, set 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones," tells the story of House Targaryen. Executive produced by George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans with additional cast Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, Savannah Steyn.

House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21st.