Visualizing a Viral Moment Two Months Ahead: Japan’s First Scannable Rice Paddy Art—A Unique Fusion of Japanese Culture and Gaming

The summer, marked by record-breaking heat, has passed, and October is already coming to a close. Autumn is the season of appetite—the time when rice is at its most delicious.

In this article, we introduce a unique initiative by US-based game company Electronic Arts (EA) that combined Japanese culture with gaming to create a Twitter sensation: “Japan’s First Scannable Rice Paddy Art,” featuring Japan’s national staple, rice.

Starting with the Rice Planting!?

EA aims to inspire the world through games, handling everything from game planning and development to sales.

In collaboration with Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, EA created rice paddy art in the city’s fields. The artwork featured “Bloodhound,” a Legend (character) from the popular hero shooter Apex Legends, alongside a scannable QR code.

Since Apex Legends is one of the most popular games in Japan after North America, the project was driven by a desire to “help Japanese users and fans feel a closer connection to Apex Legends.”

While the art was completed in mid-August, the actual rice planting began in late June. We invited media representatives as well as volunteer staff to work together and break a sweat during the creation process. By involving them from the planting stage to build the project with care, one can see the clever intent to keep participants interested in the growth of the rice until its completion.

What is Apex Legends?

Apex Legends is a hero shooter that goes beyond the traditional battle royale experience, featuring a cast of unique Legends. Since its launch in 2019, it has expanded through 14 seasons, including the “Hunted” season released this August. It is a world-renowned title, particularly popular in Japan.

Furthermore, May 2022 saw the launch of Apex Legends Mobile, finally bringing the cutting-edge battle royale experience to mobile devices.

The momentum of the e-sports industry is also incredible. At the “Apex Legends Global Series Championship YEAR 2,” the world tournament held in the US in July 2022 to determine the annual champion, the total prize pool was a staggering $2 million! Several teams from Japan participated. Despite being shorthanded due to COVID-19, “PULVEREX” fought valiantly, and “FNATIC” secured an impressive 4th place in the world, thrilling fans both offline and online. 🎮✨The response was so great that it trended at the top of Twitter, showcasing the immense passion of the fans.

So, what did the Apex Legends rice paddy art actually look like?

The Long-Awaited Unveiling: Two Months Later at the End of July!

From the side, it looks like a camouflaged field… 🌾

After planting the rice in Koshigaya City, Saitama, in June, the day of the unveiling finally arrived at the end of July. Upon arriving at the paddy, we saw rice plants growing vigorously! The full picture wasn’t visible from the road, so we headed to the observation deck of the city’s REUSE First Plant with great anticipation.

Visible from the observation deck was a QR code with clearly defined shading. It measured approximately 40 meters square! The QR code could actually be scanned with a smartphone, leading users to the game’s official website. The key to achieving this shading was the use of six different varieties of rice, each with a distinct color.

Additionally, the character “Bloodhound,” created in a field next to the train tracks, could be seen from the windows of the JR Musashino Line between Higashi-Kawaguchi and Minami-Koshigaya stations. Bloodhound was chosen from the various characters because of their popularity in Japan and because their masked design was well-suited for representation through rice plants.

The rice paddy art reached its peak in August, with complex patterns reproduced in fine detail. It served as a promotion that successfully blended the Japanese culture of rice with the characters of Apex Legends.

You’ll want to eat your favorite character’s rice. “Apex Rice”: Eat this to dominate the game.

The rice paddy art experience didn’t end with just viewing. As the rice ears ripened in August, the official Twitter account launched a giveaway campaign for “Apex Rice.” While not the actual rice used in the art, it featured Koshikari rice from Saitama Prefecture. The palm-sized Apex Rice caught the attention of many fans, with comments like “I’m curious about the taste!” and “I want to eat this rice and dominate the game!!”

A PR Initiative Leveraging Unique Japanese Culture

The rice paddy art project that began in June was successfully completed, and the prospect of eating rice associated with a popular character caused a stir on social media. The tweet announcing the completion of the art received 19,000 likes, and the Apex Rice campaign announcement reached 20,000 likes, demonstrating the project’s immense popularity on SNS.

What did you think of this initiative combining Japanese culture and gaming?
SUNNY DAYS will continue to introduce interesting and fun initiatives in the future!

Apex Legends Rice Paddy Art Overview

Official YouTube: https://youtu.be/DfC_LY0MqS8
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/eajapan/status/1560053865730416642?s=20&t=NA8juwAZSDdJlYDJM6vSOw

© 2022 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, the EA logo, Respawn, the Respawn logo, and Apex Legends are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.