The MTA has had an image problem ever since it started hiking fares and packing straphangers into trains like sardines in a tin can. Many New Yorkers have lost sight of what the MTA is really about - connecting its riders to the things they love in the city.

We created EMPIRE CITY, an homage to the city's roots as a burgeoning, down and dirty, winner take all town. It's a non-violent turf war that let's riders compete with friends to claim parts of the city via check-ins and duels.

Copywriter: Francisco Montero

Clans earn influence with each check-in and learn some historical knowledge about that spot. Once they're confident they've amassed enough influence they can roll the dice and attempt to seize the spot in an old-fashioned duel.

When a clan controls a majority of a neighborhood’s locations, that neighborhood becomes part of the clan’s territory. Once they control a majority of neighborhoods in a borough, they control that borough. A clan wins the game by controlling all five boroughs and cementing their EMPIRE CITY.

The players in the winning clan each receive a coveted MTA Gold Card - a free pass on the subways for the duration of their reign.

Inspired by early iconic subway signage and late 19th century industrial grit, we created a full set of logos for use in any environment. We took avantage of the MTA's fortunate amount of ad space with a campaign promoting riders to download the app and cement their city.

We also created a teaser video to promote the game and show the intensity and tension that goes into seizing one of your favorite locations in EMPIRE CITY.

Empire City - Duel from Jeff DeGeorgia on Vimeo.