Bold Choices Made at Pepsi Lost in Karak Event
Kuala Lumpur, 30 May 2022. The night of May 30th marked the end of Pepsi Lost in Karak, which was brought to life at The LINC, Kuala Lumpur. The event, which was presented by Pepsi, was the result of a collaboration between Livescape and Hauntu, which then allowed Pepsi’s vision of having both a truly immersive horror experience based on the legends of the Karak Highway as well as a substantially successful event to come to life. The event’s tickets were immediately sold out way before the actual date of the event, and the event itself had a turnout of over 95% of players who were prepped and ready to make the boldest decision that they could, making this truly immersive pop-up event a great success.
Over the years, Hauntu has been known to provide the most immersive haunted house experience that they have to offer in South East Asia, and their aim for Pepsi Lost in Karak was similar; bringing both the intense scare factor as well as the fascinating storyline into a pop-up event, as well as uplifting the art of theater and showcasing the amazing talent that these actors have, seeing that the performing arts scene was very negatively affected due to the pandemic.
A total of 11 actors who are a part of the performing arts scene were supported and given a platform to display their talents and skills through their respective roles in Pepsi Lost in Karak. "They provided me an opportunity and the space to give me the freedom of my character with no outside control." "We are free to express, show off, and experiment with the audience, and this is extraordinary," says Sindu, one of the actors for the event. Other actors who were involved have also expressed their immense gratitude towards the event for allowing them to have a chance to once more portray their theatrical talents to the masses that came to experience it. Also, not forget that over 30 production crew members assisted in making the whole event happen in the first place. Without them, there wouldn’t have been a successful event, to begin with.
The truly innovative part of the event that was most talked about by the players was the originality of the story. While it is based on the urban legends of the Karak Highway, it also featured a few more original and unique story arcs, such as the inclusion of a secluded tribe that secures the woodlands and the dilemma that players face at the end of choosing to either save humanity or the forests that they find themselves stranded in.
Other notable elements that contributed to the story's being immersive were the realistic props and ambience of the area, which in turn invigorated the players' senses and made them feel as if they were actually there. From the usage of actual leaves and plants that make it feel like you’re in an actual forest, to the set design of the bus and hut that makes it feel like you’re really just stranded in these places just off the Karak Highway.
Combining all of these elements resulted in a truly successful event that was, above all, enjoyable for those who played, whilst gaining a truly unique experience out of it. "One thing that we’d definitely try to do next time is to have a longer game time for the players while making sure the price is also affordable for them." said Johnny, Head of Experience at Hauntu, when asked about the customer feedback.
The most interesting turn of events that took place throughout the event would definitely be the decisions made by the players. "To capture the essence of bold that Pepsi has been championing for, there were many bold choices made by the participants of this event," said Ka Wai, the head of marketing for this project. Notably, Some groups opted to make a choice for the sake of humanity, while others opted for the decision that helped preserve the forest itself. These decisions definitely highlighted one of the main goals of the event, which is to get the players to make these bold decisions on their own and have them decide their very own endings.
For media contact, please get in touch with Ka Wai, leo@superdough.co