Wendy's Is Leading the Way in QSR's New Trend of Branded Mobile Games

Hot off the heels of Wendy’s new tabletop role-playing game, the burger chain debuted three branded video games in a new digital arcade launched by Giphy. The branded games are reminiscent of classic arcade favorites like "Breakout," "Space Invaders" and various side-scrolling titles. 

This year, Wendy’s has prioritized interactive content aimed at engaging younger, mobile audiences with a branded experience. The burger chain recently engaged with fans on the hit online game, "Fortnite," creating a Wendy's avatar and returning to Twitch this summer to play the game while live-streaming the action.

With mobile gaming quickly becoming the biggest segment of the $152.1 billion global video game market, many franchisors are finding ways to engage consumers with an amusing branded experience in a way that can be shared across social media platforms and boost the campaign's overall reach.

For example, last week Sandwich chain Jimmy John's launched a Lil’ Jon-inspired promotion that included its first nationwide augmented reality (AR) Snapchat Lens with a mobile game. Last Valentine’s Day, Papa John’s released a similar game that allowed users to create Papa John's-themed pictures to share with friends and order pizza directly.

The mobile gaming trend isn’t going anywhere and it looks like Wendy’s is leading the way when it comes to incorporating branded content into the lucrative market.