NBA 2K
Pizza Hut Partnership
Art Direction • Illustration • Digital
The Challenge
NBA 2K players don't respond to brands that show up looking like an ad. For Pizza Hut to make a real impression inside the game, the partnership needed to feel like it belonged there, native to the trends, style, and culture that 2K's community already cared about, not a logo slapped onto a loading screen. The brief called for an in-game presence built around real basketball culture: gear players would actually want to wear on their MyPLAYER, environments they'd want to play in, and rewards tied to the excitement of the NBA In-Season Tournament. The challenge was translating a pizza brand into something that felt earned within a hardcore gaming space, giving players a reason to connect slices with layups.
The Solution
Pizza Hut partnered with NBA 2K24 to build a branded in-game experience where players unlocked exclusive apparel, accessories, custom courts, and vehicles through locker codes tied to real menu purchases, turning a snack run into in-game status. My role was to design an unlockable 3v3 basketball court, along with its accompanying signage, giving players a playable space within the game that carried the Pizza Hut brand naturally into their match-ups. I also designed a t-shirt that was featured in the partnership's in-game announcement, adding a piece of wearable gear with real cultural cachet inside 2K. The work earned a Silver at AAF Dallas 2024 for Branded Content & Entertainment, Online/Interactive.
Team
Creative Director:
Jordan Hoyt
Ass. Creative Director:
Sarah Holmes
Sr. Art Director:
Hannah Lewis
Copywriter:
Scott Allen
Client
Pizza Hut
Agency
TracyLocke
Role
Art Director
Year
2022
