While some people may have fond memories of playing Chex Quest and Cool Spot, the days of these interactive commercials are essentially over. There may still be some mobile games based on the M&Ms cast or Ronald McDonald. But they’re unlikely to be backing an AAA game release nowadays. Not unless they can stomach the 3-4+ year wait for development.
It's easier for them to get some digital advertising space via product placement. Maybe seeing Sam Porter crack open a can of Monster energy drink in Death Stranding will remind players to get some taurine in their system. Why pick up generic batteries in other games when Alan Wake has Energizer batteries? Product placement is everywhere, but it got weird in these video games.
10 Lucozade in Superfrog
Before they made the classic war game Worms, Team 17 got in on the early 1990s mascot platformer trend with Superfrog. It saw a prince turned into a frog try to save his princess girlfriend from an evil witch by running through levels and replenishing himself with the source of his superpowers: Lucozade!
Lucozade is a British soda that was originally marketed as a medicinal energy drink until Red Bull, Monster, etc., were invented. Team 17 originally wanted to use Newcastle Brown Ale, but marketing alcohol in an otherwise child-friendly game wouldn’t have looked good. This dalliance with gaming may have inspired Lucozade to use Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame in their adverts years later.
9 Chupa-Chups in Zool
Superfrog and other Amiga platformers haven’t aged as well as their Nintendo/Sega counterparts, as European developers really went all-in on the collectables and difficulty spikes. Anyone who got tired of the Jinjos and Bananas in Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64 has Superfrog, Kid Chaos, and Zool to blame for setting this blueprint.
Gremlin Graphics’ Zool was about a “gremlin ninja” who had to go through 7 worlds, beat their bosses, and collect as much candy as possible to raise his "ninja ranking". This included actual Chupa-Chups lollipops, complete with banners just to make sure everyone knew they weren’t generic suckers. At least until 2021’s Zool Redimensioned where they all had to be taken out.
8 Kit Kats in Theme Hospital
Still, at least the previous products made some kind of sense. Kit Kats in Theme Hospital were harder to understand. The game was a medical twist on Theme Park, where players built and funded their own hospital, making sure patients got the right treatment, and that there were enough bins for litter. It's a cult classic that's since seen a spiritual successor in Two Point Hospital.
One of the features players could add to please its patrons were vending machines, which all bore the Kit Kat logo. Yet they never actually dispensed chocolates in the game. They gave out drinks instead. Maybe it gave out Nestea or Nesquik, despite promising Kit Kats. It doesn’t make much sense, but in a game with conditions like Bloaty Head Syndrome and Corrugated Ankles, it’s not the strangest thing in the game.
7 Subway in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Here’s one fans might remember. Just as Lara Croft shilled Lucozade on TV, her male counterpart Nathan Drake plugged Subway in the run-up to Uncharted 3’s release. He’d do all the big stunts from the game with a wrapped sandwich in one hand, and a drink in the other while promoting the Taste for Adventure sweepstakes.
Anyone who got the 30oz Uncharted-themed cup from Subway with the right code would get to play the beta for Uncharted 3's multiplayer mode, which had a cast of exciting Uncharted heroes and villains. Said mode would also feature Subway-themed outfits for players and foes alike, including a “Footlong Taunt” for Drake. These sadly didn’t make it into the full Uncharted 3 release, nor in The Nathan Drake Collection.
6 KFC & Pizza Hut in Phantasy Star Portable 2
Junk food enthusiasts might be happier firing up their old PSPs and giving the Phantasy Star Portable series a try. Instead of Subway, these mobile versions of Sega’s long-running RPG series found room for KFC. Aside from being able to chomp on virtual chicken, players can also add Colonel Sanders himself to their party to fight foes.
Phantasy Star Portable 2 double-downed by adding Pizza Hut to the mix. Since the Hut doesn’t have a mascot, players would have to make do with HP-replenishing pizzas and Hut-themed weapons. Players could go into battle with a pan-shaped sword and a pizza box-shaped shield. Provided they couldn't find anything with better stats.
5 Diesel Clothes in Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 2 is often regarded as one of the worst video game sequels of all time according to fans of the series. Although there are worst examples, Devil May Cry 2 suffers from clunky combat, dull levels, and a forgettable story that makes fans more appreciative of the attempted reboot, DMC: Devil May Cry. However, one thing cannot be forgotten; the Diesel collab.
Devil May Cry 2 found room for a little product placement from the Diesel fashion label. Among the different costumes available to Dante and new character Lucia were some swanky duds from the Italian company. Capcom made sure players would know this too, as the Diesel logo would appear when they were highlighted on the selection screen, and even in some of the ending images.
4 Mercedes-Benz in Mario Kart 8
Seeing real licensed cars in racing games isn’t that unusual. They’re often the reason why some past classics got delisted over time like Blur and Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast. But what happens when they’re put into a less realistic, wacky, and cartoony racing game like the Mario Kart series? They stick out like a sore thumb.
Sure, they are some of the most popular racing games around, with Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe update proving to be particularly lucrative. But there’s just something odd about seeing Mario and the gang sitting in tiny, kart-sized Mercedes-Benz cars defying gravity on Rainbow Road. The car company also included a custom level on Super Mario Maker called Mercedes-Benz Jump n’Drive.
3 Bodog in Scarface: The World is Yours
Open-world games aren’t strangers to licensing businesses. The Yakuza/Like A Dragon series alone is filled with real Japanese establishments, some of which got their own substories to advertise their wares. Its Western rivals like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row usually stuck to parodies like Cluckin’ Bell (KFC/Taco Bell) and Nobody Loves Me (Hot Topic) respectively.
One of GTA's more direct copycats, Scarface: The World is Yours, decided to go further and get licensing from the online poker company Bodog. Its casino games come from Bodog, and there are Bodog-branded vehicles and buildings for Tony Montana to buy. The company’s founder Calvin Ayre even makes a cameo in the game.
2 Nissin Cup Noodles in Final Fantasy 15
Some fans may balk at Yakuza/Like A Dragon being compared to GTA as they’re not that alike. Some even call them action-RPGs, even before its official shift into the genre in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. They may have a point as the Final Fantasy series has also gotten more action-based than the tactical, turn-based style of the older games. That, and Final Fantasy 15 has its own shameless sidequest like Yakuza’s product-plugging substories.
In ‘The Perfect Cup’, Gladiolus will be hankering for the best pot of noodles in the land, mentioning each of its different ingredients. So, Noctis and the gang will have to track them down, including killing a Behemoth for its meat. Once collected, Ignis will turn them into Nissin’s Cup Noodles, which the cast will extol the virtues of, albeit with tongues set firmly in-cheek.
1 Calorie Mate in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Metal Gear series is full of product placement. Playboy, UNIQLO, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Doritos, Triumph motorcycles, and J.F. Rey glasses are just some of the products the games have featured over the years. It may have started with the original release of Metal Gear Solid 2 featuring FHM magazines, though some may consider Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake using an MSX2 cartridge in its plot as a form of advertisement too.
One of the more famous examples is Metal Gear Solid 3’s Calorie Mates. Snake and his support team love these energy bars, which will almost completely replenish his stamina bar to help fight some of the hardest bosses. They don’t go rotten either, making them one of the game’s best edibles. In real life, people have found them rather tasteless and bland, but the chocolate ones are said to be okay.