EY’s challenge was to connect with a new generation of talent facing lost opportunities, career uncertainty, and wellbeing challenges — creating an engaging and supportive digital pathway into the world of work.

The pandemic accelerated barriers for young people entering the workforce: fewer learning opportunities, less work experience, and growing digital inequality.

With fewer than half of Gen Z feeling prepared for their future, EY recognised an opportunity to support early talent by offering skills, confidence, and wellbeing resources in a way that resonated with digitally native audiences.

In partnership with Radancy and Made by ON, EY created Adventure Awaits — an immersive virtual experience designed to inspire, inform, and empower the next generation.

The experience needed to combine employability skills, brand storytelling, and wellbeing support — all wrapped in an inclusive design language that felt both inspiring and accessible.

Adventure Awaits was structured around six immersive zones, each blending content and interactivity. In Career Heights, students explored EY’s career pathways, gaining practical insights into diverse roles. At Tranquillity Lake, users discovered yoga exercises, mindfulness practices, and curated playlists for mental health.

Inclusivity was embedded at every stage. From features acknowledging dietary needs of different faiths to wellbeing resources tailored for varied audiences, the design reflected EY’s values of diversity and belonging. This created a platform that felt universal yet personalised.

To resonate with a digitally native audience, the platform had to feel alive — delivering seamless interactivity, replayable challenges, and a sense of discovery more akin to gaming than corporate training.

Adventure Awaits was built with a real-time 3D renderer (three.js) and modelled in Blender, creating visually rich, explorable environments. Interactive layers such as animated wildlife, wind, and smoke effects added dynamism, while a bespoke game engine brought re-playability and progression logic to keep engagement high.

Despite this complexity, an intuitive CMS enabled EY to update and evolve content easily, ensuring the platform could adapt as needs and audiences grew.

AI tools supported both speed and creativity — helping maintain consistency across expansive environments while freeing the team to focus on higher-value design and storytelling.

AI-generated textures, styles, and assets ensured visual cohesion while speeding production across the six immersive zones. Wildlife models, background imagery, and in-world photography were also AI-enhanced, enabling fast iteration without compromising quality.

By blending AI efficiency with human creativity, EY was able to deliver a highly polished, distinctive experience at pace — setting a benchmark for how technology can augment design rather than dilute it.

Adventure Awaits has become a recruitment cornerstone, driving 1.5 million+ visits and 7,500+ hires annually. By blending immersive career tools with wellbeing features like Tranquillity Lake, the platform successfully repositioned EY for Gen Z.

Now a Rad Award winner, it validates EY as an empathetic, innovative employer — evolving from a simple tool into a trusted companion for early talent.