Psycho Bunny Branded Game
Client: Psycho Bunny
Art Director: Jude Buffum
Music: Doctor Octoroc
Game Designer: The Pixel Artist
This is a branded video game (also known as an “advergame”) that The Pixel Artist created for Psycho Bunny, deployed on four linked arcade machines at the brand's activation space at the F1 Miami Grand Prix.
Project Goals
Psycho Bunny is a bold, energetic men's apparel brand that’s always the life of the party. With a 20x20 activation space at the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix, they needed a consumer engagement experience that matched that energy. Their creative agency, New Monster, proposed an 8-bit arcade racing game and recommended Jude Buffum’s studio, The Pixel Artist, to develop the branded game.
Gameplay footage from the Psycho Bunny PB Rush Racing Challenge
Project Realization
PB Rush: Racing Challenge ran on four arcade machines networked to a central leaderboard displaying the top 8 race times throughout the event. At the conclusion of the Grand Prix weekend, the player with the best time won a cash prize, giving every race true competitive stakes. The setup also gave Psycho Bunny a natural touchpoint to collect contact information from every participant. The game was one element of a larger activation that included a DJ, a mini apparel shop, and Insta-worthy photo opportunities in the “Bunny Garage”, but the arcade machines anchored the space and kept attendees engaged and coming back for “one more race” to get the fastest time.
Creative Process
The Pixel Artist handled every aspect of PB Rush from concept through completion: all game sprites, animations, UX design, and environments were hand-pixeled by Jude Buffum, inspired by Psycho Bunny's signature magenta palette and the fast-paced, 8-bit racing games he grew up playing. Psycho Bunny branding is featured prominently throughout the race environment. The game was built in Phaser with a networked scoring system connecting the four machines to a shared leaderboard. Original chiptune music was composed by longtime collaborator Doctor Octoroc.
The track layout even mirrors the actual Miami Grand Prix circuit, with real-time position tracking for the player and all opponents throughout the race. Rigorous QA ensured the best possible user experience, including an extensive "banned words list" to keep the public-facing leaderboard clean. A touchscreen version was also built for iPad as an additional post-event deliverable.
Testimonial
"PB Rush was the perfect anchor for our Miami Grand Prix activation. Jude understood the 8-bit vibe we wanted and his team at The Pixel Artist built a super fun game that kept people coming back all weekend trying to beat their time!"
Eric Bannon (Director of Partnerships & Community, Psycho Bunny)
Click anywhere above to play the game! Click bottom right corner to play it in fullscreen (recommended) with keyboard arrows (up, down) or any USB controller. For the touchscreen version, click here.