Hawkins Heli-Tours provides a bit of closure for Stranger Things fans
Microsoft Flight Simulator has teamed up with Boo Agency to launch the Stranger Things 5 expansion. A nice bit of digital creative setting the standard for 2026 already.
Hawkins, Indiana, is a town that never quite appears on any map. For years, fans of Stranger Things have pieced together its geography from fleeting glimpses, always wondering what lay beyond the edges of the screen.
Now, as the story of Stranger Things approaches its conclusion, fans might have a bit of closure. Microsoft Flight Simulator has teamed up with Boo Agency to launch the Stranger Things 5 expansion, creating a digital twin of Hawkins for fans to explore.
More of an immersive world than a virtual map, the campaign was crafted in partnership with Netflix. Boo Agency positioned the expansion as a long-awaited ‘homecoming’, launching an in-universe travel agency that’s more than it seems.
In collaboration with the Duffer Brothers and the Microsoft Flight Simulator team led by Jorg Neumann, the agency became the ‘elaborate front’ for a smuggling operation masterminded by fan-favourite Murray Bauman, voiced by Brett Gelman.
The expansion introduces Hawkins Heli-Tours as a named mode in-game, complete with branded livery and five daring reconnaissance flight path challenges, aptly named ‘Murray’s Missions’.
Boo’s campaign hero film, shot in a single day and directed by The Lynch Brothers, blends live-action set builds, in-game capture, and a real UH-1 helicopter, immersing viewers in a scenic flight gone wrong. From the recreated agency office to CRT burn-in graphics and a grainy 4:3 aspect ratio, every frame is steeped in vintage texture.
The original jingle, written in-house at Boo by former songwriter-turned-ad creative Iain Littlemore and produced with Netflix Music Labs, completes the illusion in a nod to the tourism promos of the 1980s. A run of mayday-style shots direct viewers to call a local Indiana number, where a voicemail from Murray reveals a code to unlock a password-protected 1980s CompuServe-style microsite and a global sweepstakes for exclusive merchandise.
On the ground, the campaign came alive through collaboration with the Microsoft Experience Centre (MEC) and Spark Agency in New York. The second floor was transformed into an immersive Hawkins Heli-Tours travel agency, complete with a playable 4D helicopter simulator, retro tourism décor, and in-universe Easter eggs for fans to uncover.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away...
The Microsoft Cube in Times Square became a house-sized CRT monitor, turning a three-screen DOOH unit into a full 3D activation, broadcasting cryptic Heli-Tours content to the 350,000 daily passers-by below.
The campaign found its way into fan hands. Bing offered downloadable wallpapers that turned in-game locations into desktop postcards from Hawkins. On TikTok, a dedicated ‘RikTok’ account invited fans to duet the jingle in their own voice, remixing Hawkins’ first-ever anthem. On December 8th, an exclusive VIP event premiered the AV and opened the doors to the MEC experience, open throughout the holiday period for anyone eager to enlist.
Entirely organic and built for fandom, Hawkins Heli-Tours is the latest world-building launch from Boo, inviting players to experience this unique crossover between two iconic brands and take to the sky for one hell of a ride.
Image supplied by Iain Littlemore, Boo Creative.Credits
The campaign was brought to life by a team across Xbox, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Netflix, Boo Creative, Spark, and Creative Outpost, with direction from The Lynch Brothers and contributions from a wide array of creative professionals, designers, producers, and artists.
Client Team: Mindy Rowe [XBOX]
Marcos Waltenberg [XBOX]
William Gahagan [XBOX]
Whitney Seamons [Microsoft Flight Simulator]
Christina Verdurmen [Microsoft Flight Simulator]
Jorg Neuman [Microsoft Flight Simulator]
Paul Diamond [Microsoft]
Karen Zack [Netflix]
Alex Tennis [Netflix]
Sandra Ciconte [Netflix]
Juan Luna [Netflix]
Partners: Netflix Music Labs [Music Production]
Creative Outpost [Post-Production],
Spark [MEC Experiential production]
Boo Creative: Izaak Flanders [Creative Director]
Iain Littlemore [Senior Creative]
Isik Ulgenalp [Creative]
Stephanie Charmail [Executive Producer]
Amelia Potter [Motion Design]
Paris Scott [Digital Design]
George Allen [Design Director]
Matthew Tebbs [Design]
Jason Hall [Design]
Boo Accounts: Jack White [Managing Director]
Hannah Livett [Account Director]
Matias Alvigini [Senior Account Manager]
Directors: The Lynch Brothers [David Lynch, Keith Lynch]
DOP: Sashi Kissoon
AD: Richard Newman
Sound: Pete Cowasji
Production Designer: Sam Harley
Assistant Producer: Reine Issa
Art department: Claire Johnston
Costume Designer: Laura Smith
Hair & Makeup: Ava Gillies
Props Team: Claire Johnston, Ava Gillies, Ali Mcnab, Archie Williams, Rebekah Whelan
Hero Talent [Rick]: Borris Anthony York
Supporting cast: Sam Shoubber
Creative Outpost [Post-Production] Executive Producer: Charlotte Whittall
Senior VFX Producer: Andy Salem
Senior Editor & Motion Graphics Designer: Kyli John
Senior VFX Artist: James 'Krispy' Cornwell
VFX Artist: Taylor Vaux-Nobes
Senior Colourist: Jack Caswell
Colour Assist: Zoe Francis
Sound Designer: Luke Isom
All images supplied by Iain Littlemore, Boo Creative.
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