AKQA> http://www.akqa.com
In April, AKQA, New York ECD Lars Bastholm told Boards that the global shop was reshaping itself as a "strategic entertainment and technology company". That was proved handily by the ARG The Lost Ring, launched in March for McDonald's with an Olympics tie-in. With help from Avant Game designer Jane McGonigal and filmed trailers from PostPanic, the ambition behind The Lost Ring was matched by its success - 2.6 million people interacted with the game during its six-month stretch. Other highlights, such as the Nike PhotoiD phone app that allows users to personalize footwear with their mobile cams, the launch of AKQA Film in London and The Last Day ARG for Gears of War 2 cemented its status as "more than a digital agency".

B-Reel> http://www.b-reel.com
Hybrid "do-it-all" shop B-Reel charted a remarkable trajectory in 2008, working with all the top ad shops including Goodby, W+K, BBH, Fallon and 180 on projects for Nokia, Nike, Lynx and Honda. Its absorbing yet atmospheric interactive experiences spanned animation, live-action direction and web design. To re-launch two of Doritos' classic flavors, it created Hotel 626, a Hostel-themed horror hotel open from 6pm to 6am on Hallowe'en, where users could sing spooky lullabies into their computer microphone, or receive live interactive phone calls. For Nokia's Supernova, it created a deep "digireal" experience, delving into the lives of three fictional characters through their "found" phones, utilizing 3,750 pieces of real-time interactive content. For Robinson's Squash, the team created Return to Tastebuddy Land, a fun animated site with three fiendishly addictive games for kids.

The Barbarian Group> http://www.barbariangroup.com
We in the ad world already knew that Barbarian CEO Benjamin Palmer was a sharp cookie, but this was the year that the mainstream caught on, with the New York Times and Esquire placing him in their pages. That speaks to The Barbarians' status as a truly newsworthy outfit, as does the work that came out of its offices this year. Consider the Magnetosphere, a music visualizer developed by San Fran Barbarian/Processing wizard Robert Hodgin in 2007, snapped up by Apple this year for iTunes. Then there's its foray into clothing - the CNN.com t-shirts, where one can have a headline from the website, such as, say, "Sculptor creates treehouse-like tent", immortalized on a tee. But it was two key hirings that took place in 2008 that marked an important point in Barbarian history. Bringing Noah Brier on board to head up strategy and Justin Baum to direct its user experience department heralded The Barbarian Group's evolution into a full-on idea factory (in other words, an "agency"). Where to next?

Big Spaceship> http://www.bigspaceship.com
The row over creative attribution for their stunning HBO Voyeur site this year initiated an industry-wide conversation about how much so-called digital production companies add to, and should be credited for, the ideation process. Interactive is, of course, as much about creative and engaging user experiences as the initial idea. While Voyeur was their major project from 2007, redesigning the Second Life user experience defined much of Big Spaceship's work this year. Other highlights: helping printer buyers to find their Epsonality for Epson; creating an online multi-player game for the new Bond film Quantum Of Solace, and a campaign for A&E TV's The Andromeda Strain that incorporated a blog, social networking sites, and high-end video/audio production values. Big Spaceship made it all seem deceptively effortless and fun, intuitive yet creative.

Farfar> http://www.farfar.se
Sweden's top interactive agency excelled this year, maximizing the web's creative potential while creating slick yet fun experiences, many of them for Nokia. To effectively and entertainingly demonstrate its E-Series, Farfar created the-unloader.com, letting potential business users "unload" boring documents using interactive variations on disposal methods such as burning and shredding. For the launch of the N96 smartphone, Farfar created 96 limited-edition luxury N96s, as well as a lavishly-produced website featuring Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style content, where users could interact via webcam, while finding out more about the phone and vying to win one. To promote the Nokia N-Gage and its "Get Out and Play" tagline for mobile gaming, the agency created a stop-motion version of Space Invaders. Not content to create, the company also educated, sending out the first wave of interactive creatives from the Farfar Academy.

Firstborn> http://www.firstbornmultimedia.com
Matching gorgeous animation and live action to elegant design and innovative use of tech made Firstborn one of the top shops in 2008, working with brands like Corona, Microsoft, Nokia and GE. The sunny suburban Sunnyville site for Lowe's and Hitchcockian Bad Credit Hotel for the US Treasury showed its integration of live action with full 3D in wildly different genres. Operation Smile for Microsoft saw Firstborn develop a Processing-based software to create massive 3D faces constructed of thousands of uploaded images. Meanwhile its Facebook app for Northwestern Mutual allowed you to literally catapult or rocket your worries away, and the bright, clever UGC-based Speak In Thumbs site, which allowed users to share interpretations of text talk for AT&T, showed its smarts in creative tech.

North Kingdom> http://www.northkingdom.com
Following up the huge success of '07's Get The Glass game could be considered a daunting task at the least. Leave it, then, to the Swedish shop behind that interactive awards juggernaut to create even more time-sucking web destinations. The big project for 2008: a game for Coke Zero, launched in tandem with the UEFA championships. Originally for German audiences, players guided football fan Tim through a series of adventures designed to get him to the stadium on time. Filmed content and smart animated elements added up to an extremely sticky site, with users spending an average of eight minutes playing. Other highlights: the ridiculous yet well-built Kiss Fight site for Mentos through BBH, London and the online home for Cadbury's Glass and a Half Full Productions.

unit9> http://www.unit9.com
The London digital prodco has turned out consistently strong work over the years; functional and fun, design-savvy and user-friendly. This year was no exception, as the company collaborated with creative powerhouses from the US and UK on several notable projects. The studio teamed up with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for a new Got Milk? flagship site, as well as for the agency's online bee preservation initiative for Häagen-Dazs, helpthehoneybees.com. Cool work for UK clients included a responsible drinking-themed site for Heineken through Red Brick Road and Ruby, which asks users to "know the signs" of over-the-top drunkenness with filmed content from Outsider's Henry Littlechild. The "Brains" character from the classic UK TV show Thunderbirds, resuscitated by a Drench water campaign, also came to life online, where users could make him boogie with their webcams through motion detection code. And for Samsung, unit9 built an audio-reactive, interactive experience where geometric shapes, arranged in assorted ways, created unique compositions. All this, and a new Swedish outpost, Helpful Strangers, to boot.