McDonald's unexpectedly drops Grimace Game Boy Color-style game
McDonald's celebrates Grimace's Birthday with a retro-style game fit with Game Boy Color nostalgia.
Beginning the week of June 11, 2023, the fast-food chain started an advertising campaign for Grimace's 52nd Birthday. McDonald's began selling the Grimace Birthday Meal and Shake - which includes either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets with a medium French fry.
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The combo also features the restaurant's first purple milkshake "inspired by the iconic color and sweetness of our purple pal." While the flavor is unclear, some considered it a vanilla shake with berry flavoring.
Besides limited-time food items, McDonald's also launched Grimace's Birthday - a browser game straight out of an internet time capsule from the early 2000s.
Grimace's Birthday involves players locating Grimace's friends and collecting shakes before Ronald McDonald's best friend blows out the candles. McDonald's employed the help of Gumpy Function, Pearacidic, and Krool Toys to use GB Studio Central's open-source Game Boy Color tool. The free-to-play game is available on desktop and mobile.
"Our fans have amazing childhood memories of their birthdays at McDonald's... and Grimace's Birthday is all about paying homage to the amazing, fun moments we all share," said Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald's USA, in a press release.
Before Grimace's Birthday, McDonald's has several video games under its belt. For example, the 1988 title Donald Land and the Nintendo DS's eCrew Development Program for new employees.
Previously, the fast-food restaurant collaborated with video game giants like Pokemon and League of Legends. The Pokemon Happy Meals created a nationwide craze to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary with limited-time card packs.
The mass popularity of the Pokemon Happy Meals called for a comeback with more sought-after cards. Check out our article to see which cards will make you richer.