On Thursday, November 3, 2022, 500 drones invaded the skies of New York for a very large commercial operation. An impressive show for celebrate 10 years of Candy Crush.
500 drones in the skies of New York
If 500 drones found themselves flying at the same time in the sky of New York, it is thanks to the British company Digital King Entertainment. For celebrate 10 years of the famous game, the company decided to form the logo of Candy Crush Saga in the sky of the American city. Initially, Candy Crush’s Marketing Director spoke of ” turn the sky into the biggest screen on the planet “. If on the surface the event seemed to be a great success, it is also very controversial.
Indeed, some consider it to be a form of visual pollution and were particularly virulent towards the organizers of this show. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman was quite radical on the subject. He thinks ” that it is outrageous to spoil the skyline of our city for private purposes. It’s offensive to New Yorkers, to our local laws, to public safety and to wildlife. ».
In reality, the company behind the event had to circumvent the laws to successfully organize this event. Ordinarily, New York City does not allow drones to be flown over the city. That’s why the 500 drones flew across the Hudson River, which forms the border between New York and New Jersey. The company obtained a special dispensation to fly the drones at Liberty State Park, not far from the Statue of Liberty.
In June 2022, the NBA had already called on this company to organize a show with drones. The associations for the defense of the planet have all the same insisted on recalling that ” the Hudson River is a migratory route for birds from Canada ». Selon Dustin Partridge « luckily it was dark. Arriving like this without thinking about the impacts on the environment and the birds that will fly in the same airspace as these drones is surprising ».
However, drones are more and more numerous in the sky. In Belgium, for example, drones will transport medical samples in 2024. In the United States, Amazon has planned to launch its drone delivery service by the end of 2022 in California: ” consumers will be able to choose from thousands of products. They will be dropped by drone in their garden or on their doorstep ».
