by Could we have a new entrance to our best gaming chair rankings? McDonald’s, of all places, has revealed a new throne for PC gamers to promote the launch of its new McCrispy burger in the UK.
In a post on the McDonald’s UK Facebook Page (opens in a new tab), the fast-food giant revealed the chair, and I have to be frank: This is perhaps the ugliest gaming chair ever seen by human eyes. The race car-inspired main body is a ghastly yellow with the word ‘McCrispy’ over and over, while the removable head cushion features the iconic golden arches of the McDonald’s logo.
Naturally, this being a comfortable gaming chair designed to celebrate the arrival of a sub-par chicken burger, which McD’s describes as a ‘game changer’ – a dim link if I’ve ever seen one – the ‘McCrispy Ultimate Gaming Chair’ comes with some useful (read : stupid ) features.
These include a fry rack, gravy pot slots, a stain-proof finish to protect the material from greasy fingers, and a small hot box “to keep your McCrispy warm during the game.” Yes, they hyphenated the word ‘gameplay’. I am literally begging companies to check with some real members of the games industry before embarking on these schemes.
Analysis: More antics than Ronald usually does
This is just the latest effort by fast food chains to appeal to the ever-growing ‘player market’, and I don’t love it. Gambling is such a wide-ranging pastime. It encompasses all kinds of people, and it may sound cynical of me, but it’s not as simple a marketing avenue as many big non-gaming brands seem to think.
Some have done better than others, yes. A lot of companies try to use gaming as a nice easy angle for advertising, eg Monster Energy plastering Wraith from Apex Legends on all cans of Monster Ultra, but there seems to be a trick to Really get good publicity from a gaming-related marketing campaign.
The answer: don’t take yourself too seriously, because the players certainly don’t. KFC is the undisputed champion here: In 2020, the titan of fried chicken revealed the KF Console, a gaming PC with a built-in camera to keep your wings warm. This came shortly after the release of ‘I Love You, Colonel Sanders!’, a dating sim comedy starring the Colonel himself reimagined as a dreamy anime boy. It is free on steam (opens in a new tab), by the way.
Fortunately, the McCrispy Ultimate Gaming Chair (bleurgh) is purely a publicity stunt: only one of the chairs will be available, with a prize draw on the company’s UK Facebook page to determine who gets it. The eagle-eyed people in The player (opens in a new tab) noted that three more were produced and given out to streamers as part of the promotion, so there are at least four of these monstrosities out in the wild. The competition closes at midnight GMT on November 13.
So where is McDonald’s next? Can we expect to see a Hamburglar theme? gaming pc arrive at some point? Maybe graphics cards with yellow ‘M’s on the fans? I certainly hope not. Stick to the fries, Ronald.
