Client: The N / TeenNick / Viacom
Audience: Tween-Young Adult
Platform: Web

There’s nothing as thrilling and overwhelming as the discoveries and conflicts of new relationships; best friends, first dates, sworn enemies. And no design captures all of that sloppy dramatic goodness better than one based on card combat! As the new kid, players explore the world of The Hook Up. As players try to figure out their new town, they gather cards that hold the secrets, rumors, and facts about the other teens in town. When a personal moment arises — getting asked out on a date or a rival does them dirty– players play their cards to make the best of the situation. The Hook Up was a huge success when it launched, creating the largest traffic spike in the history of The N.

Meet the Locals

The player is free to explore the town meeting all the game’s various characters as they go about their jobs and daily schedules. Engaging conversations let players express themselves and learn valuable facts and secrets about the cast.

Be Yourself

The widely open ended story allows players to choose their relationships. Who they get to know and how to let their personality show through in their responses.

Intense Conversations

Key moments in relationships are resolved with an innovative card combat game. Players build their decks from rumors and facts they have learned through play and the choose their tactics for the conversation — calm them down? reveal a devastating secret? help them see another point of view? Winning an intense conversation progresses the game.

Beloved

The former tween players of The Hookup are older now, and the game is clearly a special memory for many of them. Thup receives multiple emails every week asking about the game, and the web is home to multiple petitions with thousands of signatures hoping for the game to be brought back.

An Interactive Story

The interwoven and flexible narrative of the game was made possible thanks to a custom Content Management System Thup developed to enable our writers to bring their vision to the game.