When reintroducing Lara Croft to the world, developer Crystal Dynamics wanted to make sure everyone noticed. As part of a strategic campaign, iam8bit created custom-weathered “salvage crates” were nailed shut and sent to 100 tastemakers worldwide. The only means of retrieving the goods inside: a crowbar… and a little elbow grease. Journalists were greeted by lots of Tomb Raider-themed merch (including the game), but it’s the crate itself that represents the greatest victory.

To celebrate Ratchet & Clank’s 10th Anniversary, we teamed with developer Insomniac Games to lovingly pay homage to the various trappings of the game’s universe. A frenzy resulted, with each hand-produced screenprint selling faster than the last, causing aftermarket values to skyrocket.

For Quantum Conundrum, Square-Enix’s first title out of their brand-new digital division, iam8bit was tagged to conceive of a viral campaign that communicated the rather lofty concept for the videogame. In it, players traverse a maze of rooms in a mega-mansion, solving puzzles by harnessing the power of alternate dimensions.

We were sworn to secrecy… but now, after months of contractually obligated silence, we’re able to unveil our insanely extreme OFFICE MAKEOVER for Call of Duty developer, Treyarch. Originally contacted to provided some framed videogame art for their bare walls, iam8bit took one look at the corporate digs and saw the outrageous potential.

Based on the mythic sci-fi franchise, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a video game steeped in incredible nerd lore. It’s development has been arduous; and the game was long thought cancelled because of its several years of silence during production.

To commemorate the 25th Game Developer’s Conference, iam8bit was invited to conceive of something swanky that would engage festival-goers.

Breaking decades of tradition, Capcom asked an American production outfit (you know, US!) to conceive of a launch trailer for their brand-new franchise, Mega Man Universe — as most such work is typically nurtured overseas . The result was a live-action/stop-motion animation hybrid spot (in collaboration with Buddy System Studios) that fully embraces the notion of “imagination,” an overriding theme of the game. Also, there are lots of awesome explosions!

Taking a cue from that awful/outrageous era of 80’s toy commercials, iam8bit pitched Capcom the concept of a truly, wholly, and completely authentic “lost” commercial to sell Mega Man 10 virally. Designed as if it were discovered on a 3^rd generation VHS tape, no detail was spared — from the “fake” sitcom lead-in to tracking distortion… and even lots of hidden bits of trivia seen on the floor, walls, and shelves.

As an homage to the roots of the Mega Man franchise, Capcom consulted iam8bit to create a completely 80s aesthetic for its Mega Man 9 marketing assault. Drawing inspiration from the original American release of Mega Man on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), artist Gerald de Jesus painted a “so bad it’s good” interpretation of the robot warrior’s world.

From Epic Games, creators of the ridicuously successful Unreal and Gears of War series, and developer People Can Fly, comes a pop culture diversion called Bulletstorm. Design director Cliff Bleszinski describes it as “…a comedy of violence,” implying that its a shooter that slaps all other shooters in the face. With that introspection as a guideline, iam8bit developed a few promotional goodies to punctuate the game’s chaotic kitsch

In 2008, Capcom and iam8bit collaborated to create the underground community event, Street Fighter Club. The first of its kind, it drew 200 eager fans to the darkest reaches of downtown Los Angeles’ scrap metal yards. Since it’s inception, over a dozen “clubs” have popped up around the country, attracting thousands of button-mashers en masse.

Commissioned to launch a Radiohead contest on animation site Aniboom, this short proved how off-the-shelf software (like Flash) and hardware (like a $80 Best Buy digital camera) can be used to produce polished, premium content in very little time.