Yes, a team building game can be built around your company's own character, and that is the deepest customization there is. For Playrix, the global mobile-games studio, we rebuilt Austin, their well-known character, frame by frame in our art style as a playable character inside Mission 8-Bit. He greets the team, sets the tasks and reacts to what players do, with lines written for this company. 180 people took part, attendance was 90%, 95% would recommend it, and six custom scenes were built around him.
- Client: Playrix, a global mobile-games studio
- Date: August 2025
- Format: live online event, hosted by our game host
- Game: Mission 8-Bit, customized
- Customization: characters and story
- Result: 180 participants, 90% attendance, 6 custom scenes, 95% would recommend
What does "customization" usually mean in team building, and why wasn't it enough?
In this category, customization usually means a logo in the corner and a swapped quiz question. It is cheap to make and easy to spot. Playrix wanted the opposite: an event their people would recognise as theirs, not a vendor's template with their logo dropped on top.
For a company that invented a character millions of players know, the obvious move was to put that character in the game, not on a banner next to it.
What did we build?
Austin, rebuilt frame by frame in our art style, became the game's host character. He greets the team when they arrive, sets each task and reacts to what they do, and every line of his dialogue was written for this company rather than adapted from stock lines. Six scenes were built around him.
| What we changed | How |
|---|---|
| Host character | Austin, redrawn frame by frame in our art style |
| Dialogue | Written for Playrix, not adapted from stock lines |
| Scenes | Six built around Austin |
| Game | Mission 8-Bit, the arcade adventure, as the base |
What were the results?
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Participants | 180 |
| Attendance | 90% |
| Custom scenes built | 6 |
| Would recommend | 95% |
Why did it work?
Seeing a character your own company invented walk around inside someone else's game, in their art style, saying things written for you, is a different experience from seeing your logo in a corner. The room reacts to it differently, and the 90% attendance and 95% recommendation say people noticed. For a games company in particular, it is also a quiet compliment: their character was worth rebuilding properly.
When does a custom character make sense, and when does it not?
It makes sense when the company has a character, mascot or brand figure people already know and like, when the event is meant to feel like the company's own, and when there are about two weeks to build it. A character rewrite takes about ten working days.
It does not make sense when the company has no character worth using, or when the date is days away. In that case, a logo and a few company-specific details on a catalogue game get most of the "this is ours" effect for much less work. If you are unsure whether your team takes to an online game at all, try the free ten-minute one at heysparko.com/play first.
More client stories: all case studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put our company mascot into a team building game?
Yes. For Playrix we rebuilt their character Austin frame by frame in our art style as a playable host character, with dialogue written for the company and six scenes built around him. The event drew 180 participants with 90% attendance, and 95% would recommend it.
What levels of customization are there for a virtual team building game?
Three. Logo places your brand in the game and on the leaderboard. Characters puts your own people or mascots in the game with dialogue written for you. Story rewrites the plot around your company. Playrix used characters and story; a logo-only version is the lightest option.
How long does it take to build a custom character into the game?
About ten working days for character and story customization, which includes drawing the character in our art style, writing the dialogue and testing. Book the customization and the event date together so the build time is there.
Will a custom game work for a large distributed team?
Yes. The game runs in a browser from a link, with no install, for groups from five to 10,000 people, and the game forms the teams itself. Playrix's event had 180 participants in one live hosted session.