We’re living in an age where everyone wants to sell us something. As we enjoy our TV shows and movies, our favorite characters will occasionally use major products that we could ever-so-conveniently buy and enjoy! And of course, this means in-game advertising has become more prevalent than ever. Some of it is so sneaky, you might not even realize it’s there. Though, there is some incredibly blatant product placement too (enough with the #BringYourGame in NBA 2K16, 2K Games!).
But honestly, you might not have noticed the items games are trying to suggest you buy. Once you know these ads are there, you’ll never be able to unsee them.
Almost Every Sports Game Ever
Played an EA or 2K Games sports game? Well, then you know how many advertisements are stuffed into it. Real basketball, baseball, hockey, and football games have billboards and videos advertising things, so the ads popped into our sports video games may be visual white noise. But they’re there. Oh, they’re there. These ads even show up in Rocket League , the soccer game you play with remote control cars!
Yakuza 5 and Everything
Yakuza 5 has so much product placement. But really, you can’t blame it. The game is supposed to recreate the experience of living in Japan, and part of that is offering arcade games, products, and foods you’d actually find in Japan. Games like Taiko no Tatsujin appear. And of course they appear in a Club Sega arcade, just like the actual ones you’ll find in Japan. Joysound Karaoke, an actual brand, is what Ryu and his friends use when they need to get musical. Thirsty? Grab a C.C. Lemon. There’s a good chance the things you see, do, and use in Yakuza can be found in real life Japan.
The Division and Mechanix
This is an in-game ad you might not have noticed. Of course, it could just be there for authenticity’s sake too. But yes, Tom Clancy’s The Division has in-game advertising. Mechanix tactical gloves appear as a drop in the game. The company even called attention to the product placement back in June 2014 . While it is true that these are the sort of gloves people in these situations would wear, going ahead and adding the Mechanix name isn’t one of the more subtle insertions on this list.
Metal Gear Solid V and J.F. Rey
Metal Gear Solid is known for product placement. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a legend, with its Axe body spray, Doritos, Mountain Dew, and Pepsi products found in-game. But we’re going to focus on a more recent ad. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain wants to sell you sunglasses. J.F. Rey sunglasses , to be exact. To make sure you don’t miss it, the brand name and style appear on screen when characters like Ocelot appear in them. How pushy is that?
Final Fantasy XV and Audi
The guys of Final Fantasy XV are going on one long road trip. Naturally, that car should be recognizable. So, Square Enix and Audi are teaming up to make the Audi R8, the car Noctis and his bros cruise around in. Only one of them will ever be made, but that doesn’t matter. It still gets people talking about Audis. Mission accomplished!
Splatoon, Transformers, and Spongebob
Splatoon has Splatfests, where you pick a side based on an item or character you like. Recently, Nintendo has held ones where people had to say if they liked Transformers’ Autobots or Decepticons better, followed by a Spongebob themed contest where people had to support Spongebob or Patrick. But hey, you can’t know who to side with unless you’ve watched the movies or seen the show! It’s a trap!
Uncharted 4 and Xperia Z5s
Uncharted 4 is a game on a Sony console. So naturally, your multiplayer characters are going to use phones made by Sony. Every character has an Xperia Z5. You might not catch this unless you look close, because who really pays attention to the phones your characters use in games? Don’t most smartphones look alike anyway? Well, now you know these are a little different.
Quantum Break and Microsoft
Quantum Break makes Sony’s having Xperia Z5s in Uncharted 4 seem subtle. Everywhere you look in Quantum Break , characters are using Microsoft products. There are Windows Phones. There are Surface Tablets. You practically expect them them to break into a dance and start making a song with the clicking and flipping of their tablets.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Mountain Dew
Call of Duty has been tied to many different products. Red Bull, Jeep, Doritos, and Mountain Dew are all some of the biggest names. But let’s focus on Mountain Dew for a minute. There was actually a promotion for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that gave you custom in-game equipment for buying Mountain Dew products. So you had to buy Mountain Dew to get the items, then you made yourself into a walking advertisement so anyone who fought in a match with you would see the exclusive items and consider buying the drink to get it too.
Mario and Mercedes Benz
This one takes the cake because it’s just so outlandish. Who would ever think to pair Mario, the iconic plumber attacking turtles (and occasionally apes) with a high-end, luxury vehicle? Apparently, Mercedes Benz thinks it’s a good fit, as the car manufacturer has teamed up with Nintendo. Mario Kart 8 ended up getting a Mercedes GLA, while Super Mario Maker has a Mercedes-Benz GLA costume and event course. It’s like, really, are things so bad for Mario that he has to shill for car companies now?