Play Interactive · Case Study
A weekend made for ONE PIECE.
September 18–20, 2026
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
Dallas · Hall B/C
Your Dallas adventure
Chart your course.
Choose a landmark. Explore the weekend.
The gathering
One game.
A whole world of fans.
BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest feat. ONE PIECE CARD GAME DALLAS brought championship competition, hands-on activities and larger-than-life ONE PIECE moments together for a weekend celebrating the game’s global simultaneous release.
Spanning two exhibit halls totaling more than 200,000 square feet, the event provided a setting for competition and fan experiences. From full tournament tables to spontaneous conversations between rounds, the event gave players a place to compete, reconnect and share their fandom. Play Interactive supported the people, production and event operations behind that experience.
Player entries are aggregated across events, not distinct people.
Competition
Every table had a story.
The Championship 26–27 Season 1 Finals and Flame-Flame Fruit Coliseum anchored the weekend. Friday’s program was reserved for eligible Finals competitors, with the wider event experience unfolding across Saturday and Sunday.
Treasure Cup, Extra Grand Battle and Matching Battles offered more ways to get into the action. The mix of scheduled competition and flexible play gave players different ways to spend their time, test their decks and find another match.
The program had a clear competitive progression: Friday’s Finals preliminary round led into Saturday’s Top 32, while the Flame-Flame Fruit Coliseum opened its first phase on Saturday and continued with phases two and three on Sunday. Alongside those headline competitions, the side-event schedule kept ONE PIECE CARD GAME at the center of the weekend.
The fan experience
Step into the world.
Take a moment home.
The Dallas experience extended beyond the playmat. Scenic details, activity stations and photo opportunities brought the event’s ONE PIECE identity into the hall, giving fans reasons to explore between matches.
A colosseum welcome.
A colosseum-style entrance introduced the weekend’s arena theme before fans reached the tournament tables. Drawing on the atmosphere of the Flame-Flame Fruit Coliseum, the arrival moment gave the Dallas event a visual connection to the competition waiting inside.
For a gathering built around a tabletop game, that transition mattered: the familiar world of cards became a setting fans could step into. The entrance established the theme at the start of the visit, framing the journey from arrival to competitive play and the activities beyond the tables.
Follow the Stamp Rally.
Themed archways carried the visual identity across the venue. Fans collected stamps at four activity spots, adding a playful route through the event to their tournament plans.
The journey began with a Stamp Card collected at badge pickup. Visiting all four activity spots turned exploration into a small challenge of its own, connecting the event’s individual attractions through a simple, tangible keepsake that fans carried through the hall.
Fandom, larger than life.
The Flame-Flame Fruit photo opportunity, oversized cards and OP1–OP16 displays made familiar characters and card art part of the physical experience—moments to enjoy, photograph and share.
The collectible experience extended to commemorative products themed around the Flame-Flame Fruit Coliseum: a Premium Card Collection, official playmat, limited sleeves and an official storage box. These pieces carried the event’s artwork into objects players could bring to future games. The product display in our Dallas gallery captures that connection between the weekend’s visual identity and the everyday rituals of collecting, protecting and playing cards.
Play’s contribution
The team behind
the table.
Play Interactive’s work connected tournament operations, staffing, prizing, event logistics, broadcast production and social coverage. Onsite teams supported the tournament floor and fan activities, while broadcast talent and player interviews brought competitive moments to viewers beyond the hall.
That combination placed the game and its community at the center of the delivery: competitive play on the floor, a themed environment to explore, and real event stories captured throughout the weekend.
Those responsibilities spanned both sides of the event: the practical work supporting players onsite and the storytelling that made the competition visible beyond Dallas. Tournament operations, staffing, prizing and logistics supported the in-person program; broadcast production, player interviews and social coverage gave the same weekend a presence on screen.
Bring your fans together.
Let’s build an event that gives your community something to play, explore and remember.
Let’s connect →ONE PIECE CARD GAME: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha · ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation. Event photography: Play candids, Dallas 2026.
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