How the Lyft Arcade Makes Waiting for Your Ride Fun

“People use rideshare to get in and out of every major event. But standing around and watching your driver get closer is the worst video game ever. And we're glued to our phones too much anyway.” 

This is why ride-hailing and vehicle hire company Lyft decided to create ‘Lyft Arcade’ – a collection of retro video game cabinets, decked out with Lyft’s vibrant neon branding and the perfect distraction for when you’re waiting for a ride. Debuting the activation at the 2023 Sundance film festival, Lyft users could book their ride, play and even win some prizes to boot.

Now with plans to evolve the campaign with future appearances at other events, and perhaps even some custom Lyft-inspired games, Lyft’s in-house creative team spoke to LBB’s Ben Conway about the process behind creating the ‘Lyft Arcade’ and the power of good creative to motivate people to move mountains. Sharing their insight behind the project are Lyft’s creative director of brand, culture and entertainment, Gianmaria Schönlieb, and associate creative director, Neil Ramanan.

LBB> Where did the initial creative spark for this project come from? What led you to create something to entertain people while they waited for their Lyft? 

Gianmaria and Neil> Waiting impatiently for your ride to arrive sucks. That was the fundamental human truth we played with. We also discovered that waiting for a Lyft takes about as long as losing at Pac-Man – depending on how good you are, of course! 

LBB> What were the arcade games that people could play, and what could they win?

Gianmaria and Neil> Imagine waiting for your car and being catapulted into a world of 8-bit nostalgia. People in line played some of our favourites like Pac-Man, Centipede, and Asteroids – all re-imagined in Lyft's techno-pop aesthetic. And we also took a classic claw machine and filled it up with Lyft Pink Mustaches and free rides.

LBB> Why did you pick Sundance as the first location for this activation? 

Gianmaria and Neil> We knew that the creative community at Sundance would stop in their tracks after seeing the neon colours of our Lyft Arcade, and that they'd love to immerse themselves in our 8-bit world while waiting for their rides. So it made perfect sense to activate in Park City. 

LBB> Are there plans to take the arcade on the road? Where could the next Lyft arcade be? 

Gianmaria and Neil> Yes! We're currently working on the next evolution: concepting custom Lyft 8-bit games and more surprises to keep people engaged while waiting. Stay tuned, our next one could pop up in your city!

LBB> How was the process of designing the arcade cabinets? Who worked on the art aspect of the project and what direction did they have? 

Gianmaria and Neil> All of the art and design were done in-house in close collaboration with our production partner Deeplocal. It was a team effort from concept to execution. That's the way we like to work here. Fun fact: it was a true sprint, we created the whole experience in less than a month. 

LBB> What was the reaction of people who played at the arcade while waiting for their Lyfts? Did some people just want to play the games anyway?

Gianmaria and Neil> There was a constant line around the block! We heard it became one of Sundance's ‘must-see’ attractions. We wanted people to interact with the brand in a fresh way – bonus points that they were waiting for a ride, but that was just one part of the story. 

LBB> What was the hardest creative or logistical challenge you faced on this project? How did you overcome it? 

Gianmaria and Neil> Our internal stakeholders are used to our unconventional ideas and they were up for the challenge. The main issue was the project's timeline – which was not a lot to solve some of the logistical challenges you run into with something like this. But when you start building creative excitement within a company, everyone suddenly gets ready to climb mountains to make it happen. That’s the power of good creative. 

LBB> What’s your favourite arcade game ever? How would you adapt it into a Lyft arcade experience? Crazy Taxi springs to mind! 

Neil> I love Crazy Taxi! Our drivers are totally safe though!

Gianmaria> Street Fighter 2, no doubt! I have been pitching an idea around it for a while, even during my time at Wieden + Kennedy - it has to do with Chun-Li and Ken smashing cars… tough sell!