Genshin Impact attracts food brands

KFC, Pizza Hut and Domino’s are among the brands that have bought into the success of mobile phone game Genshin Impact in Asia. 

Background

Genshin Impact, a free-to-play, fantasy role-playing game from developer miHoYo, was released in September 2020 and rapidly became a global phenomenon, being named Game of the Year in 2020 by both Apple and Google Play. And in a recent China awards ceremony, it was named “the most valuable homegrown intellectual property (IP) of 2022” in the video game category. During its short existence it’s estimated to have brought in more than $3bn in player spending just from mobile phones. 

Brand partnerships

Unsurprisingly, brands see opportunities and food brands in particular have been exploring collaborations with the game. The China Project reports several recent examples in China that have attracted huge amounts of interest.

• Local boutique beverage chain HEYTEA last week launched two new limited-edition ‘special drinks’ at its stores along with a variety of Genshin Impact merchandise and was overwhelmed by demand. 

• Earlier this year, Pizza Hut had a similar experience when it offered limited-edition set meals, themed merchandise and in-game rewards, with some stores having to close temporarily.
• Last year, when KFC offered fried chicken buckets, pins and stickers themed on two characters from the game, crowds descended on their stories, with some having to cancel events amid concerns about social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where next? 

The food theme isn’t new: last year the developer ran HoYo Fest in several countries across the region, which included themed ‘collaboration cafés’ and special set menus. Now, over the next few weeks, pizza chain Domino’s is running a collaboration with Genshin Impact in Singapore and Malaysia. 

Sourced from The China Project, Yahoo! Life