Is the King of Burgers a King of Games, As Well!?

Recently, the fast food chain Burger King announced that for the holiday season its customers will have the opportunity to buy a unique collection of three Xbox/Xbox 360 games with the purchase of any Value Meal. Starting on Sunday, November 19, the Xbox Game Series will be available for a limited time until December 24 (or while supplies last) exclusively at Burger King restaurants throughout the country.

The series includes “Pocketbike Racer”, “Big Bumpin’”, and “Sneak King”. All three games are compatible with both Xbox and Xbox 360 and feature a number of Burger King mascots, such as the King, the Subservient Chicken, and Brooke Burke, into visually rich, three-dimensional environments that give players of all ages an entertaining, interactive experience on one of the most popular video game platforms on the world. They are based on some of the most popular game genres – racing, action, and adventure – and rated “E” for everyone.

The five levels of “Pocketbike Racer” will give gamers the opportunity to experience the wild world of Pocketbike racing, competing against the King and his crew on five distinct tracks with different levels of difficulty. The game will include multiplayer races for four people on the same Xbox or Xbox 360, or eight people online over Xbox Live.

“Big Bumpin’” again puts Burger King mascots into competition with one another, however, this time the emphasis is not that much on racing but rather on bumper-car ride. The game will also have a four-player action and online multiplayer support.

“Sneak King” takes the stealth action genre and puts into a friendlier use than usual. Rather than sneaking behind enemies in attempt to break their necks, players will surprise hungry people with offerings of Burger King menu items.

The three game were developed by Blitz Games, on of Xbox’s key development partners and Europe’s largest independent video game developer exclusively for Burger King. The Xbox Game Series is part of an integrated marketing campaign including television and print advertising, in-store merchandise, custom packaging, consumer events, and Internet micro site. A sneak preview of the games will be featured at the MTVU Gamorz Ball college campus gaming tour that begins on October 24. On launch day, the Burger King No. 00 Dodge will hit the track, debuting an all-new car design featuring the BK Xbox Games in the season-ending NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

This is not the first time Burger King is trying to enter the gaming sphere. However, this time instead of integrating Burger King products into already existing games, the food chain is having games exclusively designed to accommodate its products and symbols. It will be interesting to see how these are received by gamers who are known to be notoriously demanding and willing to condemn any game that does not offer them a satisfactory gaming experience. Many people are suspicious of the quality of games available for $3.99 each. If this campaign succeeds we may expect to see Ronald McDonald or Wendy entering the gaming world as well soon.