Adding augmented reality (AR) to its audio and post-production services may seem like an unusual combination at first, but it’s working so well for Regina-based Talking Dog Studios that they’ve been creating a global buzz with its newest AR game.

Known for its work audio and post work on popular series Corner Gas, Talking Dog decided two years ago to incorporate new media as part of its offering.

“It was one of those emerging technologies that was really going to take off,” says marketing coordinator Stephanie Kossmann. “And it had a lot to offer outside the entertainment purposes and the interactive elements and fun: it had a lot of educational crossover and the opportunity for advertising and marketing. So we were definitely looking to explore those possibilities. Plus, we thought it was cool.”

Its latest effort has been with an augmented reality game called ScavengAR Hunt for iPhone and Android mobile phones, which lets users virtually collect 3D objects anywhere in the world using their phone’s webcams via Layar, an AR web browser.

Since launching last month, ScavengAR Hunt has already attracted players around the world, from the U.S., U.K., Russia, China, Sweden and the Netherlands.

“We can also tie objects to a specific location, so a company could have an object (such as a coupon) to promote its business,” says Kossmann, detailing another area the studio is looking to explore.

Though the focus right now is on ScavengAR Hunt, she says she’s also looking into educational avenues. “We want some geared to teaching because it adds that interactive element that engages people. Attention spans getting short, you need to keep people engaged quite quickly.”

Kossmann adds that the mixing of these services has turned Talking Dog into a one-stop shop, including video recording, 3D and audio work.

Since launching their AR arm, the studio has already worked on a number of interactive projects garnering attention at last month’s SaskInteractive Media Awards where they snagged two prizes for their AR work: one for best educational (How Big Is The Baby) and one for mobile entertainment (Where the Buffalo Roam).

Earlier this summer, the Saskatchewan company teamed up with Legendary Pictures for an AR campaign at New York Comic-Con for its upcoming remake of Godzilla. The studio created t-shirts featuring an AR marker and set up a webcam with a companion website, so that when fans donned the shirts and walked by the webcam, it detected the marker and Godzilla roared to life on the screen.