Summary
- Genshin Impact collaborated with McDonald's in the US for limited-time menu items, offering in-game rewards.
- Fans had mixed reactions, questioning the fit of the collab with Genshin Impact's brand aesthetics.
- Another game, Zenless Zone Zero, is highlighted as a better match for modern brand collaborations.
As part of HoYoverse's marketing efforts, Genshin Impact has collaborated with many restaurants and brands around the world to create special menu items. The game has unique food and drink consumables inspired by real-world dishes, which many fans have tried to replicate at home. It only makes sense for Genshin Impact to let people experience its culinary offerings in creative ways.
Recently, Genshin Impact announced a collaboration with McDonald's in the United States. From September 17 to 29, fans can purchase the "Genshin Impact Apple Pie" and "Genshin Impact Deluxe McCrispy Meal" via the McDonald's app, which will also include Primogems and other in-game rewards. The collab is a simple way to enjoy good food and gain limited-time rewards, but many fans seemed to agree that it might not be on-brand for Genshin Impact. However, it would have fit Zenless Zone Zero quite well.
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The McDonald's Collab Could Be a Better Match for Genshin Impact's More Modern Sibling
When Genshin Impact's McDonald's collaboration was first announced, it was surprisingly met with a lot of skepticism from many fans. While this isn't the first time that the game had a collab with a popular restaurant chain, as Genshin Impact previously partnered with KFC and Pizza Hut, people online didn't seem sold on the food offerings and perks. On the other hand, there were still some who were excited about getting the special cosmetics which were previously only available in select countries.
Genshin Impact x McDonald's Menu Items
- Genshin Impact Apple Pie: Possibly inspired by the Apple Roly Poly from Good Hunter
- Genshin Impact Deluxe McCrispy Meal: The chicken burger could be a different iteration of the Golden Chicken Burger from Genshin Impact's KFC collab
Meanwhile, one HoYoverse title definitely matches the modern vibe of McDonald's, and that is the futuristic action RPG Zenless Zone Zero. Set in the bustling city of New Eridu, Zenless Zone Zero features a number of restaurants offering various types of ramen and coffee. Fans can expect more establishments to appear in future updates, just like the Outer Ring's Cheesetopia in Zenless Zone Zero Version 1.2.
|
Ramen |
Waterfall Soup on Sixth Street |
|---|---|
|
Coffee |
Coff Café on Sixth Street |
This makes Zenless Zone Zero the perfect HoYoverse title to have a food collaboration next, especially with a modern brand like McDonald's. The caveat is that Zenless Zone Zero still has a limited selection of food items, so if it were to collaborate with McDonald's in the future, it would have to have consumables inspired by fried chicken, burgers, and apple pies. At this point, it makes a lot of sense for Zenless Zone Zero to come out with special ramen and coffee collaborations that come with in-game rewards in the near future.
Zenless Zone Zero Has a Lot of Collab Potential With Many Brands
Shortly after its release, Zenless Zone Zero caught the attention of many fans with a collaboration with Street Fighter 6, which is also the game that inspired the HoYoverse title's combat mechanics. It also collaborated with the YouTube-popular Lofi Girl to produce lofi versions of Zenless Zone Zero's tracks. So far, this shows a lot of potential for HoYoverse to come up with unique Zenless Zone Zero collaborations beyond food partnerships.
With its heavy focus on technological advancements, it only makes sense for Zenless Zone Zero to do a collaboration with tech brands for a custom collection. Recently, Genshin Impact revealed that it partnered with Logitech to release limited-edition gaming peripherals, starting off with Lightspeed mice with designs inspired by characters like Kamisato Ayaka and Sayu. Zenless Zone Zero could take a similar direction to spotlight certain Agents.
Zenless Zone Zero could even capitalize on Bangboos with toy collaborations with brands like Build-a-Bear and Squishmallows. These cute characters are a great way to showcase the different Bangboo forms, and get more eyes on the game through the power of cuteness.
Genshin Impact
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- X|S Optimized
- yes
