Following up from our topic last month here at Bits & Bytes, let’s look at some of the most successful (and perhaps surprising) collaborations between the promotional industry and video games, and why they worked so well.
Products as Games (aka Advergames)
In the early 90s, 7-Up partnered with video game developer and publisher Virgin Games and their subsidiary Virgin Mastertronic to create several games starring their Cool Spot mascot as the main character. While that might sound ridiculous, they were actually following a trend at the time of product mascots appearing in their own games, albeit with limited success (looking at you, Chester Cheetah). What’s really surprising though was that the Cool Spot games were a huge hit, the difference being they were designed with enough care and effort that they stood on their own rather than feeling like commercials disguised as games. It was one of the first examples that a promotional tie-in could be more than a novelty if the underlying game was solid.
Personally, I remember playing the Spot NES puzzle game with my cousins for hours over the holidays when I was only 10. Trust me—it was a blast.
In 1996, General Mills also threw their hat in the advergame ring with Chex Quest, a rebranded, wholly non-violent, kid-friendly version of the demon-shooting game Doom that was distributed inside boxes of Chex cereal. Not only did Chex Quest become a minor cult classic, it led to a nearly 300% increase in Chex cereal sales that year and showed how a promotional product could reach an audience that might not otherwise have encountered a particular genre of game.
In-game Product Placement
Historically, product placement is a tricky thing to get right. As consumers of media we tend not to appreciate when we’re beaten over the head with ads that appear in the things we watch, because it takes us out of the experience. And while product placement in video games often runs the same risk of feeling too invasive for gamers, sports games like FIFA or NBA 2K benefit from this method of advertising due to their mirroring real-world signage and sponsorships in actual stadiums; that is to say, their placement feels natural.
Racing games like Gran Turismo similarly feature licensed vehicles from actual car manufacturers like Alfa Romeo who then benefit from having their newest models appear in games where players can test drive them in a realistic environment. Again, these collaborations work because they align with what players expect from the sport and the genre.
But some in-game collaborations are successful precisely because they seem unlikely at first glance, such as the partnership between Death Stranding and Monster Energy in 2019. The game’s somber, atmospheric world contrasts sharply with the brightly colored branding of the energy drink, and yet the product still appears as a consumable item in-game. Player reactions to its inclusion were mixed at first, but the collaboration became memorable precisely because of the contrast. It showed that even a game with a strong artistic identity might incorporate promotional elements if they served a functional purpose.
Augmented Reality
In 2016, Pokémon GO helped set a new precedent in augmented reality gaming by delivering a fun and engaging way to bring the Pokémon world to life. Then, in a stroke of advertising genius, they partnered with retail chains like Starbucks and Walmart to turn stores into in-game locations. Essentially, players could visit participating locations for in-game advantages and unique challenges, and retailers gained visibility and foot traffic without interrupting gameplay and without relying on traditional advertising. It was a brilliant strategy that demonstrated how augmented reality could bridge digital and physical spaces in a way that benefited both players and businesses.
But of course, we can’t talk about AR promotional campaigns in video games without mentioning the current reigning champion—Epic Games’ Fortnite. Since its inception in 2017, Fortnite has hosted multiple crossovers with films and comic book characters that have provided themed rewards and achievements, but the introduction of live performances by musicians in 2019 marked a true paradigm shift. These massive events for artists such as Travis Scott and Ariana Grande blend entertainment and promotion in a way that feels completely native to the platform. Players that attend these concerts are not simply watching an advertisement; they are actively participating in a shared experience that is tied to an artist’s real performance. While these digital concerts themselves are free to attend by anyone online, they generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue by way of themed merchandise and in-game rewards during the events.
When a promotional item or event feels like a natural extension of the world, players tend to accept it, even if the branding is obvious. Yet when the partnership feels forced, it becomes a distraction. The ones that ultimately succeed often lean into the unexpected, offering something novel without disrupting the experience. Across all these examples, the most successful collaborations share a common thread; they respect the tone and structure of the game they inhabit.