With Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon set to roar onto HBO Max in just one short month, the hype machine was on full, fiery blast at San Diego Comic-Con. io9 got a chance to check out “House of the Dragon: The Dragon’s Den,” an activation set up across the street from the convention center. Here’s what we saw!
The experience begins with a line. This is Comic-Con, after all! But while you’re waiting in line, you can download the special app that’s required for the experience—though you won’t use it until the very end.
The outside of the experience. Check out those claw marks! The Targaryens must’ve had an entire staff on hand to repair those at a moment’s notice.
Costumed performers help pass the time while you’re waiting in line. (Be ready for lots of questions about which Westeros house you belong to.)
For your next feast! Refer to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books for more lavish food descriptions than Game of Thrones ever bothered with.
The very theatrical dragon-keeper greets you when you enter and guides you through selecting and hatching your own dragon egg.
First, though, you pass through a room that’s pretty much overtaken by a huge dragon skull.
The “Dragon’s Den” takes groups of 12 at a time, which works out so that everyone can grab their own individual egg from this fiery altar.
I picked a good one!
In room full of misty pools (fog machines doing a lot of heavy lifting here), everyone dropped their eggs in. According to our guide, they all hatched!
After that, you grope your way down a long hallway filled with vents that blast cold air at you, and then you emerge into... the throne room. A pair of musicians were there playing the Game of Thrones theme, which made us suddenly wonder what the House of the Dragon theme will sound like.
They made everyone do it, so naturally I had to. (I had my mask on the rest of the time, I swear to Nymeria!) After your photo op, you head back into the outside world, where the app you downloaded previously helps you see what your newly hatched dragon looks like. You can even name it! The official description of the event gives more details:
“The four-day fan experience, ‘House of the Dragon: The Dragon’s Den,’ is an interactive experience where Comic-Con attendees will be guided through a ceremonial dragon hatching experience. Walking in a Targaryen’s footsteps, each person will step from our world into the sights and sounds of King’s Landing, interacting with people of the city, selecting their own dragon egg, and bravely demonstrating they are worthy of a bond with a dragon.
Having proven themselves true Targaryens, each person will hatch their personalized, virtual dragon egg in a new augmented reality app, House of the Dragon: DracARys, before exiting, enabling them to “raise” their dragon at home. Powered by Niantic Inc. and produced by The Mill, House of the Dragon: DracARys will be available for download in the Apple and Google Play app stores starting July 20. Participants of ‘House of the Dragon: The Dragon’s Den”’ will receive exclusive access to the app’s dragon hatching features before the app begins its global rollout and unlocks full functionality on July 25.”
If you’re in town for San Diego Comic-Con and you want to check out “House of the Dragon: The Dragon’s Den” in person, it’s on the MLK JR Promenade at 326 W Harbor Dr right by the convention center. It’s open Thursday, July 21 through Saturday, July 23 from 10:00 a.m.-6 p.m.; and on Sunday, July 24 from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.