Singapore’s largest zodiac hunt is back this Chinese New Year (CNY)! Now in its third edition, POSB #HuntYourZodiac2022 (“POSB #HuntYourZodiac”) will once again bring festive fun for users of DBS PayLah!, as they track down the zodiac animals located all around the island in return for chances to win “angbaos” worth up to SGD 888. A total of SGD 180,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs this year.
POSB #HuntYourZodiac, a virtual mobile game co-designed and developed by POSB and game developer Sqkii, has been warmly received since its launch in 2020 with player numbers surging from around 5,500 then, to over 49,000 last year. This CNY, the game will run from 30 January to 15 February (“game period”), bringing joy to players throughout the entire festive period as compared to five days in previous years.
Leveraging location-based technology, POSB #HuntYourZodiac can be played from wherever players are in Singapore. Boasting refreshed gameplay as well as new twists and challenges this year, both new and existing players alike can expect to embark on an exciting virtual hunt for the sixty zodiac animals 12 Chinese zodiac animal types, across all five elements (metal, wood, fire, water, earth) scattered over 34,000 locations (“Gates of Fortune”) around the island.
Players who successfully capture the zodiacs and win challenges will be rewarded with in-game oranges, which can be exchanged for chances to win cash prizes in the form of “angbaos” ranging from SGD 0.28 to SGD 888. DBS PayLah! transactions made at any merchant or store will be translated into in-game “power ups” to boost gameplay (please refer to the appendix for details on angbaos, power ups, and other gameplay elements).
Upping the ante with clan-based gameplay via the ‘Zodiac Quest’, animated storytelling, and cute festive stickers
In line with POSB’s commitment to building communities and enabling shared experiences for all, POSB #HuntYourZodiac is introducing a ‘clan’ element to gameplay through the ‘Zodiac Quest’, a progress-based race that pits the zodiac clans against one another. Based on their year of birth, players of the same zodiac sign will automatically form a clan, with clan results tracked in real-time on the leader board as the clans compete to outplay and “out-hunt” one another to gain rewards, and ultimately emerge as the winning clan at the end of the game period.
This year’s instalment also ups the ante by integrating animation and storytelling, thereby bringing the zodiacs to life with a backstory, as well as unique personality arcs for each character. The game is premised on helping Smiley, POSB’s much loved mascot, to reunite the missing zodiacs – all of which have escaped after having caught whiffs of the irresistible array of CNY delicacies. Watch the animated trailer here and a gameplay tutorial here.
Starting 29th January, special sticker packs featuring each of these twelve zodiacs will also be made available on Telegram and Instagram, right in time to jazz up festive CNY greetings! Simply search “Hunt Your Zodiac” on these platforms to download the stickers.
Image: A still image of the zodiac sticker packs, available on Telegram and Instagram starting 29th January
Mr Jeremy Soo, Managing Director and Head of Consumer Banking Group (Singapore), DBS Bank, said: “With the pandemic, Chinese New Year may look very different from how we once knew it to be. This makes it even more imperative that we tap on technology, gamification, and virtual environments to create new ways to celebrate. POSB #HuntYourZodiac seeks to do just that by giving families and friends of all ages something they can play, share, and talk about this festive season, and especially so with the new clan-based gameplay, which aims to foster team spirit and create shared experiences for all to enjoy.”
POSB #HuntYourZodiac stemmed from DBS/POSB’s commitment to leveraging its technology and gamification capabilities to deliver immersive, engaging, and novel experiences for customers – an endeavour which has proven successful, with the game having been accorded awards such as ‘Best Digital Integration’ and ‘Best Use of Gamification’ by Marketing Interactive in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
To play or find out more about POSB #HuntYourZodiac, visit: https://posb.hyz.sqkii.com
