10 More Embarrassing Product Placements In Video Games
7. Jake from State Farm - NBA 2K22
The NBA games are chock full of in-game advertisements. You could probably spend the entire word count of this entry just listing them and still go over the word limit.
One of these is slightly more embarrassing than the rest however, and honestly even typing this one out feels gross. In NBA 2K22’s online mode “The City”, players are given a quest to speak to Jake from State Farm. If you’re unsure who Jake or State Farm is, good for you. Unfortunately for everyone, further context will now be provided.
State Farm is an insurance company, and “Jake” is a character in their adverts. Apparently they’re quite popular in America, because it's totally normal to be a fan of an insurance company over there.
The quest you’re given to speak to Jake sees you rock up to an honest-to-goodness State Farm shop (selling insurance company apparel, assumedly?) wherein Jake will throw State Farm catchphrases at you. Imagine paying $60 for a game stuffed with microtransactions just to have an insurance company advertise to you. Might need some mouthwash after this one, or maybe even some Airwaves gum...