KFC smartly latches onto popular video games

Earlier this year a new installment of the Legend of Zelda was released. The game garnered global appraisal and many people still play it to this day. One of the characters in the game, however, looks very similar to Colonel Sanders (the founder of KFC). And this inspired the fast food chain to create a unique in-game challenge with prices players can win.

The game features an open world allowing players to wander, gather resources, ingredients and cook. For the challenge, called ‘The Recipe Run’, players were instructed to talk to the character, after which they should gather the ingredients and cook the KFC signature dish as fast as possible. Successful attempts were rewarded with real-life chicken, available through the KFC app. They even organized an international tournament with a golden trophy shaped like a chicken leg (worth €11,000). 

This is not the first time KFC has tapped into the gaming demographic. They also added Colonel Sanders to Street Fighter 6. These PR stunts serve as interesting examples in which brands can contribute and incorporate themselves into the (notoriously difficult to please) gaming community.