There’s a hellish garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, a gaming meets real life experience by brand partnership agency, Miai+. It’s a series of angelic and ethereal floral displays that blend with the dark aesthetic of sci-fi fantasy, DOOM: The Dark Ages by Xbox. The May 20-24 display is a collaboration between The Firepit Company, Xbox, Bethesda Softworks and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is the famous garden show’s first-ever gaming partnership.
The centrepiece of the garden is the DOOM Sphere fire pit, a 900mm steel structure hand-cut by The Firepit Company. The design features intricately carved demons and adversaries from the game, inspired by digital concept art created by designer, Nate Reynolds. The concepts were hand-drawn onto the steel by The Firepit Company’s in-house and the fire pit stands as a dramatic tribute to DOOM’s dark medieval aesthetic, anchoring the garden’s eerie atmosphere.
The Slayer dominates the hellscape garden and is surrounded and consumed by an arrangement of dark flowers, including Julisa (‘Black Hero’), Centaurea Cyanus (‘Black Ball’), Petunia (‘Black Velvet’) and Zantedeschia (‘Odessa’), as well as a meticulously carved slate pedestal, with the Slayer’s signature symbol slashed across the stone, transforming the event itself into the Chelsea Fire Show.
The collaboration also includes Mini Blaze Firepits, a smaller tabletop version of the DOOM: The Dark Ages-inspired fire pit, that can be used indoors and outdoors. These are available to the public to buy on The Firepit Company website. Seeding kits will also be sent to select influencers around the world and will feature in influencer content across social platforms. The kits include skull crusher marshmallows, DOOM: The Dark Ages themed scented candles (Fire Spice and Blood Orange), and skewers to aid marshmallow toasting – all in a DOOM: The Dark Ages themed box decorated with art from the game.
DOOM: The Dark Ages was released on May 15, the 30th anniversary of the franchise. To celebrate, fans have the chance to win their very own DOOM Sphere fire pit — the dramatic centrepiece featured at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
A teaser campaign for the activation, featuring imagery and video content of the DOOM: The Dark Ages fire pit and garden at Chelsea is running across Xbox, DOOM, and The Firepit Company’s social channels. Miai+ created all of the initial concepts for the teaser under the creative direction of Taya Harris with production studio, Liquid Crimson.
At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, there will also be special Black Pansy seeds on offer so that people can take an element of the DOOM: The Dark Ages garden home with them.
Jason Andre, managing director of The Firepit Company, commented, “I grew up playing Doom when I was young. It was my first foray into action gaming and introduced me to a love of gaming. When we first spoke about creating something special for Doom: The Dark Ages, I was instantly hooked on the idea! It has been a pleasure to work on such an iconic piece, and the whole team is excited to see the pieces being enjoyed.”
Rianne Quintyn, partnership manager at Miai+, added, “Collaborating with two brands of profound cultural heritage to translate DOOM’s legacy into a handcrafted firepit was an inspiring journey. Witnessing this fusion of craftsmanship and iconic history stands as a proud and memorable moment for us at Miai.”
