A hot air balloon world record was recently set at this month’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta by Xbox in an attempt to promote a new game.
In anticipation of the release of Super Lucky’s Tale in early November, the Xbox team created a custom made hot air balloon in the shape of the main character from the game. Once the balloon was in the air, the company livestreamed to gamers across the globe from the New Mexico skies via the Mixer Xbox Channel.
During the festival, Xbox’s balloon reached heights of 1,200ft and by reaching this altitude, set the world record for the highest altitude gaming stream. This has since been ratified by Guinness World Records and will now feature in the organisation’s 2018 gamer’s edition, which shows all world records related to the gaming industry.
The livestream was hosted by Rukari Austin, the Community Manager at Microsoft Studios. Austin used a platform specially designed for the event, which housed a monitor and an Xbox One X. These were both powered by a generator whilst in the hot air balloon.
Xbox’s General Manager of Games Marketing said that the hot air balloon challenge was a first for the company and highlighted that it was a great way to showcase the game to the world.
Hot air ballooning is becoming more accessible to the public, with events taking place across the UK and the world. This has inspired many Brits to book their own hot air balloon flights in Bath, Bristol and all over the country.
