The goal of the project was to improve retention and increase monetization around two specific holidays in the North America region: Canada Day (July 1st) and American Independence Day (July 4th). Additionally, we wanted to offer something new and experimental to our players, while presenting something a little piece of Americana to other regions.

The idea of this event was to have three teams - Greasers, Preps, and Nerds. All three teams are based around different sub-cultures of America in the 1950s. Each faction will have its own unique design. Our North American players love to customize anything and everything. So, our idea developed and evolved into an online car constructor – a casual web game that allowed users to build cards with various car parts (each with their own style fitting of a Nerd, Prep or Greaser). Frankenstein monsters were encouraged (as they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and players were free to let their creative spirit run free. “Miles”—the event’s own currency used to purchase car parts—could be earned by completing in-game missions.

The main theme became cars, the USA and subcultures of the 50s. Our visual designers and artists were tasked with no only creating an atmosphere that fit this time period and sense of Americana, but also to create parts which reflected their intended style and that would fit together well, even if the player chose to mix and match.

Additionally, it was important that the event fit with World of Tanks. That’s why we gave each car “tankish” parts. See if you can spot them all.

Users are introduced to the Workshop. Inside, each part has its own price in “miles” and players could simply drag and drop whichever one they liked the look of, see whether it fit the style they were going for and purchase it if they liked the look of it. To complete a car, users needed to install 6 parts: A Body, an Engine, a set of Wheels, a Chassis and 2 types of accessories. In all, there were 18 parts to choose from (6 for each of the 3 styles) and allowed players to design some real unique creations. The completed cars were then stored in the Garage—a dedicated section of the website— and get to work on another car.

Giving our players something enjoyable and fun wasn’t the only reason for the event. Tankers adore being challenged and competitions. So, we put that to the test: each player was able to take on in-game missions to earn “miles”. More missions completed, more miles; more miles, more parts! Every part that a player purchased would grant them an additional in-game bonus, whether that was credits, decals, camos, etc. By completing a collection (Greasers, Nerds or Preps), players were awarded a special camo. Those tankers who collected all 18 parts gained access to the main prizes: 3D styles, days of World of Tanks Premium and more.

The important things for all events is the user generated content. This event had two really cool features. Each player was able to share their unique vehicle with friends via Facebook or Twitter, and it didn’t even have to be fully completed either. Additionally, they could also save their creations in the form of an adorable wallpaper with their own vehicles on it. As we said before, our players love to be challenged and their hard-earned achievements in the form of completed vehicles and their own creations was just the right way of showing off.