Snap, HBO Max partner to launch AR experiences for ‘House of the Dragon’ premiere

To celebrate the premiere of HBO’s highly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel, “House of the Dragon,” HBO Max is partnering with Snap to give users access to in-app AR experiences. For the show’s premiere on August 21, Snap and HBO Max are releasing a new selfie and worldview Lens, along with Landmarker Lenses, that let you immerse yourself into the show’s fantasy world.

The selfie Lens transforms you into a fire-breathing dragon. In the worldview mode, the Lens leverages sky segmentation technology to unleash flying, fire-breathing dragons above you so you can pretend to be part of the Game of Thrones world. Snap says the Lens will go live in regions around the world, including Australia, Europe, India, the Middle East and Northern Africa, North America and more. The Lens can be accessed via the Lens Carousel in the app.

As for the Landmarker Lenses, Snap and HBO Max have coordinated with Lens creators from around the world to build custom AR experiences in their local markets. The Landmarker Lenses will offer users another way to engage with the show, as they will reveal AR renderings of the show’s dragons over local landmarks all over the globe.

The first Lenses will launch for the premiere in Los Angeles at Venice Beach Grand Canals, in Rio De Janeiro at the Princess Isabel Statue, in London at the Tower Bridge, in Chennai at the Sankagiri Fort, in Mumbai at the CST Station and in Prague at the Charles Bridge. The Lenses will be unlockable via the Lens Carousel when users are near a Landmarker location.

Image Credits: Snap

There will be around 20 new Landmarker Lenses released throughout the season from creators in more than 10 countries. Snap says as new dragons are introduced over the course of the season, Landmarker experiences featuring those dragons will be made available. The Lenses will focus on three key show moments: the series premiere, pivotal mid-season episodes and the season finale.

The launch comes as Snap says more than 250 million users engage with augmented reality every day on average on the app and that Snapchat sees over 6 billion AR Lens plays every day on average. The company also says more than 250,000 Lens Creators have built 2.5 million Lenses through its AR creation tool, Lens Studio. In addition, Snap says over 300 developers have reached more than a billion views on their Lenses that and Lenses built by its community have been viewed more than 5 trillion times.

“House of the Dragon” is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones.” The series will focus on the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, as the infamous Dance of Dragons will take center stage as family members of House Targaryen fight for the Iron Throne.

HBO is going all in with AR experiences for “House of the Dragon,” as the series has its own companion AR app called DracARys. The app rolled out globally on July 25 across iOS and Android devices and lets fans raise their own virtual dragon.