As we close the curtains on the last 8th Wall Developer Challenge of the year,  we first want to extend our heartfelt thanks to every participant who joined us on this festive journey. The enthusiasm and skill displayed in each submission went beyond our expectations, making this challenge not just a competition, but a celebration of the incredible potential within our community. 

L’Oréal Professionnel launched its beloved Metal Detox hair oil product in Sephora stores through an omnichannel campaign that included a rich augmented reality (AR) experience powered by 8th Wall in the heart of Times Square in New York City. 

We are thrilled to shine the spotlight on yet another exceptional 8th Wall developer community member: Mal Duffin.   Mal is a veteran in the field of game development who skillfully melds his extensive experience to forge engaging WebAR experiences. He recently participated in the 8th Wall x Hope for Haiti challenge where he created an immersive experience showcasing the history of Haiti and the work Hope for Haiti does. 

In the swiftly evolving landscape of WebAR, the tools that enable developers, brands, and agencies to rapidly build and deploy immersive experiences are more critical than ever. 

Today, we’re delighted to announce a feature that’s been eagerly awaited by the 8th Wall community — the all-new 8th Wall Simulator. Integrated directly into the Cloud Editor, the Simulator offers a real-time testing environment where developers can preview experiences across an array of virtual devices, aspect ratios, viewports sizes, and real-world video sequences. With this release, developers no longer need to juggle multiple devices or locations for testing, simplifying the creation process within 8th Wall dramatically. 


Accelerate development with powerful in-line simulation tools  
The new Simulator panel transforms the Cloud Editor into a dynamic testing ground. Developers can choose for a wide range of devices, input custom aspect ratios, or even use the live camera feed to make precise adjustments to their experiences. 

The holiday season, with its festive lights, magic tales, and cozy gatherings, is the perfect time for brands, developers, and agencies to think outside of the giftbox and weave the magic of WebAR with reality. 

This year, 8th Wall introduced powerful new tools and updates to our platform that enable developers to make the holidays even more magical by creating immersive, imaginative interactions. From transforming the skies to placing WebAR in the palm of your hand, there's a whole new dimension of interaction and creativity you can unleash. To celebrate the season, we’ve crafted a few examples of how you can make the holiday season unforgettable using the tools we released this year. Let’s dive into how you can make this holiday season unforgettable. 

Ask Santa Anything: Sky Effects + World Tracking with Inworld AI 
We kicked off the year with the announcement that Sky Effects and World Tracking can now be integrated to transform the entire world into a canvas for AR, a first in the industry. Use these two fields together, developers no longer have to choose between creating something in the sky or on a surface. 

Imagine a Holiday experience where the sky and world before the user come alive with holiday magic. Now, combine it with the new GenAI Modules to create an experience with interactive elements that transform  in response to user interaction. By merging these two technologies, developers can create a personalized experience that speaks to each user. 

This holiday season, Niantic 8th Wall invites you to a world brimming with festive magic. Introducing Ask Santa Anything, an enchanting WebAR experience that seamlessly weaves together heartwarming tradition and cutting-edge technology, bringing the North Pole’s most cherished figure, Santa Claus, directly to your world.

The holiday season is the ideal playground for WebAR, where the magic of the festivities meets the immersive world of augmented reality. In this time of joy and wonder, we're thrilled to introduce our final challenge of the year: The 8th Wall Holiday Developer Challenge, kicking off on December 4th. We're inviting developers to explore this festive canvas, crafting holiday-themed WebAR experiences that enchant and engage. This challenge is your opportunity to push the limits of WebAR, explore new creative avenues, and showcase your unique skills during this special season.

Moooi, a Dutch furniture, interior, and lighting modern design company, made a splash with a unique augmented reality (AR) experience at Salone del Mobile in Milan as part of its A Life Extraordinary campaign. Using 8th Wall’s WebAR technology, Moooi blurred the lines between the physical and digital worlds by transforming four interior moods into immersive ‘Portals.’ 

In the dynamic realm of immersive experiences, we are delighted to present the winners of the 8th Wall x Hope for Haiti Challenge—an extraordinary exploration that demonstrates what’s possible when WebAR is used for the greater good. This exceptional challenge is not just a competition; it's a celebration of collaboration and innovation, uniting developers in a collective effort to make a positive impact.

Pandora created an innovative virtual try-on experience using 8th Wall’s newly launched Hand Tracking technology for the release of its recent Game of Thrones jewelry collection. Partnering with Hoopla Digital, Pandora leveraged Hand Tracking to create a cutting-edge hand model purpose-built for the browser, using hands, wrists, and fingers as its canvas.