Burger King's Advergaming

The first appearance of The King in a video game was in the boxing game Fight Night Round 3 from EA Sports which was released on all-formats, starting with the Xbox 360 release in February 2006. The King was available as the in-ring round guy, and later he was selectable as your boxing manager (his speciality was giving you "Heart"). There were also persistent rumors that he could be played as a boxer using a cheat code. However, some fans of the game regard his cameo as an example of excessive product placement.

In October 2006, Burger King announced that it would be releasing three video games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, starring The King and other mascots, such as the Subservient Chicken. In Pocketbike Racer, the mascots face off in a minibike race. Big Bumpin' has them trying to defeat each other in a game of bumper cars. Finally, Sneak King has players control the Burger King in a third-person perspective stealth game, where the King must sneak up behind hungry people and offer them Burger King products. Players are graded on how elaborately they deliver the food.

The games were available at Burger King restaurants from November 19 to December 24, 2006. They were priced at $3.99 each ($4.99 Canadian) with purchase of a value meal, and have each been rated "E for Everyone" by the ESRB. While the games are now unavailable in stores, Burger King is still selling the games through its online store. The games remain priced at $3.99 each, but they are now available as a set for $10.99. All three received low ratings from various game critics.

The newest gaming venture is a series of games that are developed by Seattle, Washington based mobile content provider Mobliss. The games, designed to run on mobile phones, are promoted in U.S. locations on menus and packaging and were introduced spring of 2008. According to Mobliss, the goal of the first game is to become the King's protégé by facing challenges and progressing in the virtual world of a Burger King-themed city. The games can be purchased and downloaded using an SMS shortcode, and can be available on all major US carriers as Mobliss has direct publishing agreements with Sprint Nextel, AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Alltel, and T-Mobile (USA).

Source : wikipedia


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