Some big video game releases have come out this year already, and with several more to come into the holiday season, we’re likely to see various promotions surrounding these games. Fallout 4 by itself has several in the pipeline, including a specialty beer created by a U.K. brewery for sale in Europe.
Here are some specific game industry brand partnerships that have stood out this year, in one form or another.
Raise your AP! Grab #Fallout4 AND @jonessodaco Nuka Cola Quantum – exclusively available from @Target on 11.10 pic.twitter.com/JWfsm8wzMZ
— Fallout (@Fallout) October 29, 2015
Raise your AP! Grab #Fallout4 AND @jonessodaco Nuka Cola Quantum – exclusively available from @Target on 11.10 pic.twitter.com/JWfsm8wzMZ
Fallout (@Fallout) October 29, 2015
Alongside the beer mentioned above, Fallout fans will have another way to quench their thirst. Starting on November 10th, fans of the Fallout series will be able to buy a real-life Nuka Cola Quantum, a soda brand featured prominently in the video game franchise. Produced by Jones Soda, the blue colored Nuka Cola Quantum will be available for purchase exclusively at Target retailers, as part of a promotion for the forthcoming Fallout 4, which releases on the same day. The partnership was announced with the above tweet, and Fallout fans are sure to make a run for them.
Skylanders Superchargers Revs Up With Max Chilton
Considering how Skylanders Superchargers, has a focus on vehicular mayhem, it only makes sense for Activision to make an impact on the real racing world. Earlier this year, the publisher teamed up with Max Chilton to promote the family-friendly game on his vehicle during the season finale of the Indy Lights racing tournament.
“The Skylanders Superchargers game is all about speed, reaction and, of course, winning, so there are obvious parallels to real-life racing, albeit I can’t grab powerups or slow other drivers down with a laser cannon!” Chilton said in a press release.
Carl’s Jr. Introduces a Special Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Meal
As part of its promotion for its newly introduced Tex Mex Bacon Thickburger, the Carl’s Jr. chain has teamed up with Activision to create the Ultimate Care Package, which includes the burger, fries and a drink, along with the opportunity to win limited edition items for Call of Duty: Black Ops III, which releases next week.
The commercial for the promotion features plenty of action and promises of some great giveaways, including custom in-game weapons. On top of that, Black Ops III will also be joining the brewery game, like Fallout. Activision announced a team-up with Australia-based Black Hops Brewing to produce a special Black Ops Midnight Pale Ale. Sadly, it too will be sold overseas only, made for the Australian beer market.
Transformers Team Up With Splatoon
Back in August, Nintendo continued its promotional push behind its colorful shooting game Splatoon by teaming up with Hasbro for a special Splatfest event, which involved the best-selling Transformers franchise. The competition enabled players to choose the t-shirt for their Autobot/Decepticon team of choice, then defend them in the best way possible, all while trying to win Super Sea Snails to purchase in-game gear.
Although it was only a one-time event, the Transformers-themed Splatfest was quite popular, and surely helped push Splatoon‘s surprising sales into the fall season.
Madden NFL 16 Scores a Touchdown With Doritos
As part of its big push into the fall season, EA Sports gave quite a promotional push behind Madden NFL 16. Part of that push involved a team-up with Frito Lay to produce special Madden Ultimate Team codes in bags of Doritos. Fans would be able to find a code inside specially marked bags and redeem them for special players on their fantasy team in the game, including San Diego Chargers veteran LaDainian Tomlinson.
Frito Lay is no stranger to video game promotion, as the Doritos brand has been associated with top games franchises like Halo and Call of Duty in the past. However, this new one enabled a strong connection with the virtual football community.
Amusement Parks Get In On the Game Action
Digital games are becoming more of a real-life attractions with various amusement parks teaming up with video game publishers.
First up, Capcom teamed up with Six Flags Entertainment to promote its 3DS game release Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, temporarily transforming the Goliath coaster in the Magic Mountain theme park into a Monster Hunter-based theme ride. The company also held a special Caravan Tour to promote the game, complete with playable kiosks and, of course, monsters.
Secondly, in an attempt to expand its Mass Effect universe before the release of the long-awaited Andromeda sequel (announced at E3 earlier this year), Electronic Arts paired up with Great America to create a fun new attraction that stems from the popular sci-fi universe. This will include a 4D holographic theater that brings the game’s world to life using the fully renovated Action Theater. The ride is set to be unveiled in early 2016 in the Santa Clara park.
“Having a partner who shares our commitment to thrilling our fans is extremely important to us and we look forward to building an attraction that will appeal to the Mass Effect fan base and introduce it to many more.” said Patrick O’Brien, Vice President of Entertainment and Licensing for the Redwood City-based EA, in a statement.
In related, EA teamed up with the theme park Carowinds to develop a “3Z” competitive interactive attraction based on the Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare game. The attraction is expected to launch in Spring 2016, which is around when Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is expected to release.
Last but certainly not least, Nintendo is also getting in on the theme park fun. The publisher announced a team-up with Universal Parks & Resorts earlier this year that will bring characters like Mario, Link and Samus to Universal theme parks. There’s no word yet on when these attractions will launch, but we’re likely to see more details emerge next year.
Halo 5: Guardians Gears Up With Hot Pockets
Finally, for those who prefer a quick snack during their Warzone multiplayer sessions, the microwavable Hot Pockets snacks and Halo 5: Guardians have a fun promotion where players can redeem codes to gain additional REQ in-game currency points, which are used for in-game gear packs that feature extra weapons and other goodies.
While not as in-depth as other fast-food based promotions, this is a fun and simple way for gamers to get what they need, sometimes simple is the way to go.
