When it comes to blending creativity and technology, few do it better than Sam Guilmard, founder of Playbound Studio. From his early days experimenting with AR using Meta Spark to running workshops and building interactive brand experiences, Sam has become a go-to creator at the intersection of art and immersive tech.

Every fall, Universal Studios turns fear into an art form. This year, Halloween Horror Nights reached beyond haunted houses and fog machines, inviting guests to confront a living legend. Towering above the park’s iconic arches, a gargoyle stirred from stone, breaking the boundary between physical and digital worlds.

In collaboration with Lucid Reality Labs, Universal created the Bicoastal Mixed Reality Gargoyle to extend the HHN story beyond haunted houses and fog-filled streets. Anchored to The Conservatory, this year’s central theme, the activation adds an exclusive digital layer to both coasts. The experience invites fans to take part in the myth, turning each encounter into a “you had to be there” moment that blends innovation, storytelling, and sheer spectacle.

Extending the story beyond the gates
Inside the Universal mobile app, guests unlock a secret Mixed Reality encounter. The experience begins with a whisper:

“Legends tell of a creature that guards the Universal Studios archway after sundown.”

Tapping Summon the Beast launches an immersive WebAR sequence powered by 8th Wall. Guests scan the ground, align their phone with the archway, and watch the transformation unfold. Stone cracks. Wings unfurl. A towering gargoyle takes flight through the night sky before swooping toward the crowd. With a roar and a swipe across the camera lens, the creature vanishes into the fog—leaving one last dare: “Flip your camera.”

Arcade MiniGolf was created as part of an 8th Wall game jam where participants received a putt putt template and were encouraged to build their own creative courses. Irina Fawcett and Noah Ilbery took that challenge and delivered one of the most imaginative entries in the jam. Their levels transformed classic arcade and carnival games like skee ball and air hockey into playful, interactive mini golf holes that surprised everyone with their creativity and polish.

Windy Golf began as part of the 8th Wall Mini Golf Game Jam where participants received a putt-putt template and were challenged to remix it into something uniquely their own. For Andrew Kurano, programmer, artist, and reluctant sound designer, it became the perfect excuse to push 8th Wall Studio to its limits. What started as a simple golf game quickly evolved into a playground for custom shaders, dynamic grass, and global wind systems that bring every hole to life.

Wobble Clash is a tactical AR battler created by Adrian Majewski. Players choose quirky creatures called Wobblers, equip them with skills and gear, and face off in turn-based duels on procedurally generated hex maps that appear in their real-world environment. Terrain types like grass, sand, and stone grant unique bonuses, turning every step into a tactical decision. Win battles, earn XP, and watch your Wobblers evolve into stronger forms as the challenges grow.

InlineAR and iFrame embeds have been in the 8th Wall toolkit for years. What is different now is how frictionless the process has become. With our updated publish flow you can instantly copy a ready-to-drop iFrame snippet. That code can live on your website, in a web view inside your mobile app, in 3rd party publisher sites like Viverse, or anywhere else an embed belongs.

From the start, 8th Wall has been about removing limits for creators.

We brought AR to the web so anyone could experience it on their phone. We expanded 3D creation with Studio and made it free. And in the past few months, we’ve gone further with Asset Lab, the 8th Wall Desktop App, and Native App Export — giving builders more freedom to create and share their work on their own terms.

Now it’s time for the next leap.

Meet 8th Wall Agent
8th Wall Agent will be your new creative partner inside 8th Wall.

Meso Mountain is a whimsical 3D platformer created by Irina Fawcett (Developer & Graphic Designer) and Noah Ilbery (3D Artist & Animator). Inspired by classic platformers and a plush toy, the project blends custom 3D art with a custom-built third- person controller to deliver an accessible, browser-based experience.

We spoke with Irina and Noah about their inspirations, development process, and the challenges of creating Meso Mountain.

For Onam, Kerala’s biggest festival, Federal Bank wanted to do more than push ads. Working with Hogarth India and Xtendr and using the 8th Wall platform along with AI tools like WPP Open, Federal Bank launched a heartfelt campaign rooted in digital storytelling. 

Today, we’re excited to announce something many in the community have been asking for: the 8th Wall Desktop App, now available in Public Beta for MacOS and coming soon for Windows.