Press Kit

Tough Cookie Games introduces a gaming alternative to traditional wedding invites, Save the Date!

Bothell, WA
June 6, 2019

Over the past decade, technology has played an increasingly crucial role in helping couples stand out on their big day. From Instagram filters to robotic bartenders, companies now offer a host of digital upgrades to staid wedding traditions.

Enter Save the Date! -- a gamified invitation service that transforms the traditional wedding invite into an interactive video game.

Instead of a paper invite, guests receive a game link and jump into character as one-half of the betrothed couple -- fighting off monsters, rescuing their partner and saving the (wedding) date. The game is completely customizable -- couples can create their own digital avatars, and populate the digital world with family or friends.

A wedding couple starts by going through our invite builder to personalize their game for their event. Once they are happy with it, a link to the game will be sent to guests via email or text message. They can then download the unique game via the Save the Date! app on Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac. Guests play through the game to discover the wedding date, location, and other event details.

“Guests can enjoy the novelty of playing a game that is personal to their friends or family,” said founder Erica Merchant. “Even months before the wedding, that will get them excited for how unique and fun the actual day will be.”

Save the Date! caters to a huge demand for a truly memorable wedding, enhanced by adding touches of tech. According to The Knot 2018 Real Weddings Study, couples are investing an average of $33,931 for “super-personalized events infused with meaningful details.” Other companies using technology to reinvent wedding offerings:

  • SnapChat, which offers filters that enable guests to frame and share photos
  • Makr Shakr, with robotic bartenders that take and shake up cocktail orders
  • Honeyfund and Zola, which allow couples to crowdfund their honeymoon
  • doob, offering couples the option to 3D print their cake topper
  • Wedding Drone New York, which provides a new perspective for wedding videography using drones

Save the Date! is currently in the prototype stage and will be demoing at E3 June 11 – 13, and Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo on June 22. Tough Cookie Games is raising funds for Save the Date! through Kickstarter (link live June 11) in order to offer their first package, The Mini Adventurer, by February 2020 starting at $3 per guest. Rewards include game packages from 100 to 300 guests at 30% below expected launch prices, with an early bird option at 50% below.

Save the Date! is the first game from Tough Cookie Games, a solo developer founded by Erica Merchant in January 2019. While initially starting with the wedding industry, Tough Cookie Games plans to offer Save the Date! as an experience for a wide variety of events such as corporate parties and baby showers.

You can find press assets for this announcement here.

To get a download key for the alpha demo of the game please contact us.