Using QR Codes in the Virtual Gaming Industry

Here are some specific examples of how QR codes are used by renowned esports companies and in games for organizing events and launching new products:

Hitman 3

IO Interactive innovated in Hitman 3 by integrating barcodes and QR codes, which effectively serve as adigital business card. Hitman is designed as a stealth game trilogy, with each installment focusing on three different assassins completing missions. A distinctive feature of Agent 47, the main character of the third part, is a tattooed barcode on the back of his head and a redesigned game that includes seven QR codes. In the penultimate mission in Mendoza, Argentina, the main task of the character is to find these codes in a vineyard. One of the 67 objectives for the player is to scan all seven QR codes to achieve a master level.

Dota: Dragon's Blood

Based on the storyline of the game Defense of the Ancient (DOTA) 2, a Netflix animated series was created. The promoters originally presented it using a QR code in the trailer. Marketers of Dota: Dragon’s Blood developed four different posters featuring characters from the game, which, when assembled together, form a QR code. This allows fans who notice the code to scan it and access a 15-second YouTube trailer featuring one of the main characters of the series.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The game Animal Crossing: New Horizons from Nintendo is an updated and more complex version of the popular simulator. A feature of the new version is the QR code system, which allows players (village residents) to easily customize their characters and landscapes. Thanks to QR codes, it is also possible to transfer projects from previous versions of Animal Crossing into New Horizons.

Cyberpunk 2077 for Xbox One

The role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077, released with a wireless controller for Xbox, includes an unexpected surprise in the form of a QR code. This code is located on the back of the Xbox One controller and, when scanned, directs to YouTube where the soundtrack of the game is available. Additionally, some users reported that the QR code led them to a pre-order page for the game online.