McDonald’s enters the digital market with Genshin Influence.
McDonald’s and game developer Hoyoverse on Tuesday announced a recent partnership bring Genshin Influence-themed menu items for the store. McDonald’s has collaborated with a number of video games — from Sonic retro handhelds to Tetris McNugget — but this one stands out. That means not only Genshin Influence hits the US food chain for the first time, but it also changes up the standard Happy Meal playbook. Instead of toys, this campaign will give players in-game currency and cosmetic items.
McDonald’s and Genshin Influence The collaboration will launch on September 17, and customers will be able to purchase the products through the McDonald’s app only in the U.S. Fans have the option to choose between the “Genshin Impact Apple Pie,” which has special packaging featuring Kaedehara Kazuha and Beidou, and the “Genshin Impact Deluxe McCrispy Meal,” which doesn’t have any frigid packaging but does contain special in-game items. The apple pie will reward players with 40 Primogems, 3 Golden Apple Pies, and the in-game recipe for the “Golden Apple Pastry,” while the meal will give players the “Wings of Delicacies” glider and the “Celebration: Crispy and Sweet” calling card.
Overall, these aren’t the most eye-catching items. Primogems will only provide players with a quarter of a pull, and the recent cooking recipe doesn’t mean much considering the game has 179 dishes, according to one Wiki fan’s calculationsHowever, the shift towards awarding digital in-game items is significant.
Launched in 1977, the Happy Meal gave kids something just for them. What makes it special? A special box with a radiant design and a surprise gift or toy inside. Since then, the Happy Meal has become a fixture in American culture, with its toys often inspiring viral consumer trends. And with this mini-campaign, McDonald’s is rewarding customers with in-game items — where business is booming.
Comscore’s 2024 report states that 82% of US gamers have purchased in-game items in freemium games. When it comes to Genshin Influence specifically, Sensor Tower analysis 2022 said the game has been downloaded more than 110 million times and has generated more than $3.6 billion in revenue since its launch. Other major brands like Nike have already partnered with developers like Epic Games to introduce virtual items into games like Fortnite.
Whether this will work or not remains to be seen. McDonald’s has had a similar partnership with Oversee in 2022 in Australia and allowed fans to redeem the code and get the Tracer skin, but fans criticized the collaboration for offering an ugly skin. A lot Genshin Influence Fans are incredibly passionate about the game and its characters, so people will likely head to the store just for the specially designed packaging and the novelty of seeing Kazuha at the Golden Arches.