A Brief History of Promotional Products in Gaming

Promotional items in video games have been around almost as long as the medium itself. They’ve taken many forms—sometimes playful, sometimes awkward, and occasionally inventive—but they’ve always reflected the relationship between games, technology, and marketing at a given moment. This month, let’s take a brief look at the evolution of the promotional industry’s relationship with gaming culture.

In the early arcade era, cross-promotion was simple. Brands appeared on cabinet art or in the names of pinball machines, but the games themselves rarely incorporated outside products. As home consoles gained traction in the 1980s, companies began experimenting with more direct tie-ins. Some of these were straightforward, like games based on movies or cereal mascots. Others were more unusual, such as cartridges distributed through specific retailers or food brands. These early efforts were limited by hardware, but they established the idea that a game could double as a marketing tool.

The 1990s brought more deliberate attempts at what would later be called “advergames.” With PCs becoming common in homes, companies could distribute simple games on floppy disks or CD-ROMs as part of a promotion. Many of these titles were modest in scope, but they were often memorable because they were free and easy to access. At the same time, mainstream games began including product placements that blended into the environment. Sports titles, in particular, adopted real-world signage to mirror televised broadcasts.

As online gaming grew in the 2000s, promotional content became more dynamic. Developers could update in-game billboards, rotate sponsored events, or introduce branded items without shipping a new version of the game. This period also saw the rise of large-scale collaborations between game studios and consumer brands. Some partnerships were cosmetic, offering themed outfits or accessories. Others were more integrated, tying real-world purchases to in-game rewards through codes or loyalty programs.

Mobile gaming expanded the landscape even further. Free-to-play titles created new opportunities for limited-time crossovers, and brands used these games to reach audiences who might not own a console or gaming PC. Promotional items became part of seasonal events, social media campaigns, and even augmented-reality experiences. Because mobile games update frequently, promotional content could appear and disappear quickly, making it feel more like a live event than a static advertisement.

Today, promotional campaigns in games range from subtle product placements to full collaborations that reshape a game’s world for a short period. Players might encounter a branded vehicle in a racing game, a themed quest in an online RPG, or a cosmetic item tied to a movie release. The line between marketing and entertainment has become more fluid, and many players now expect occasional crossovers as part of a game’s ecosystem.

Additionally, with the advent of streaming culture, the most popular gamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube are now embracing sponsors and incorporating their ads and product placement directly into their livestreams. This has opened the door to an entirely new market of consumers that enjoy watching games but may not actually play themselves.

What’s consistent across all these eras is that the success of any promotional effort has depended on whether it feels like a natural extension of the game rather than an interruption. With that in mind, next month we’ll be taking a look at some of the most successful and surprising collaborations between the promotional industry and video games.