Three Questions to: Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall About Their New Online Escape Game

Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall has released its first game, a free online escape game built with the Hamburg-based digital agency Pop Rocket Labs. This December 2022 Gamecity Hamburg interview with Julika von Werder of the venue's marketing team explains the project's origins, the collaboration, and how it ties to the hall's wider programming. The central point is that a cultural institution is using a game to make its operations more tangible and to reach audiences beyond classical music fans.

Players help project leader Nuria save a concert threatened by a damaged instrument, a missing artist, and failing technology just hours before showtime. The game is available in German and English, can be played solo or in groups, and runs about 45 minutes. It requires only a laptop or tablet, headphones, and an internet connection. Players who solve all the puzzles receive a 20% discount code for a real Elbphilharmonie concert. The hall draws several hundred thousand visitors per season across classical, jazz, international, and popular programming, plus music education offerings.

The project originated during the Covid lockdown, when cultural organizations were exploring digital formats, but real development began afterward. The Music Education department found its partner through a request on the Gamecity Hamburg Discord server, which has more than 1,000 members. Von Werder says the goal was to show the backstage coordination, flexibility, and improvisation behind each evening's concerts, and to appeal to newcomers as well as existing fans. Collaboration combined video conferences on design and puzzle mechanics with an on-site photo shoot in the building to create puzzle clues. She credits the agency's interdisciplinary input with producing a result better than the original brief envisioned.

The interview closes with concert suggestions for gamers, including a live "Star Wars" soundtrack performance at the Laeiszhalle in January, electro artist Hannah Peel in June, and silent films with live music at the Summer Festival.