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When I turn on my smart TV and the Roku starts up, there’s a cute little ship bell that goes off and I’m suddenly in a nautical dreamworld that happens to have all my streaming apps on it. It’s a pleasant way to start the viewing process, but it’s literally just a screensaver—until now.
Roku just launched a fun way to interact with its cool screensavers that brings them to life via short, scripted videos themed to each screensaver setting in “Roku City.”
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When you fire up your Roku and see the home screen, click the banner on the right that says “See Roku Like Never Before.” You’ll be taken to an illustrated map (made with Untold Studios) with six clickable experiences, including a volcano, a Ferris wheel, a hospital, a warehouse, a ship and the Roku theater.
Each location features a quick video that is an entertaining mini-ad for Roku. For example, when Mount Roku is entered, where it’s a balmy 1300 degrees all year round, we’re introduced to a supervillain’s lair where an Austin Powers-esque scene is going down. Over at the hospital, we get a medical drama featuring a “hot doctor.”
The short films are directed by Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit Filmworks and created in partnership with global creative agency Preacher.
On launch day, July 16, Roku users can also explore through a Roku City Home Screen takeover and a clickable Roku City Tour Bus. It’s a cute campaign worth checking out if you’ve got Roku, but it’s apparently something Roku says people wanted. Roku data shows that two out of three users say they would visit Roku City if they could. “The experience has inspired years of fan theories, earned cultural recognition—including a recent Las Culturistas award—and is mentioned on X every 11 minutes,” the streamer says.
“Roku City has always been a bit of a mystery—that’s honestly part of the charm,” says Damon Van Deusen, the vice president of brand at Roku. “We wanted to reward the fan curiosity instead of keeping them guessing. ‘See You in Roku’ is our way of finally opening it up, while still keeping the personality that made people fall in love with Roku City in the first place.”
If you don’t have a Roku and want to see the films, you can watch on YouTube. But it’s admittedly more fun if you click around the map on the platform. See you in Roku City!