10 Ridiculous Ways Adverts Were Built Into Video Games
7. Pepsiman And The Giant Pepsi Can
Unlike the previous examples on this list, Pepsiman is a whole game built around the advertisement of a product, rather than a product being slotted into an unrelated game. But it's even more absurd because of that.
Released in 1999 for the PS1, Pepsiman was essentially an endless runner in which your character - Pepsiman, the soft drink manufacturer's primary mascot at the time - automatically runs forward through the stage, with the player tasked with dodging around various obstacles. It sounds all innocent and fun, but literally everywhere you looked, you were looking at some form of advertisement.
On certain occasions, Pepsiman would be chased down the street by an enormous can of Pepsi; in-between stages, random video clips of a man drinking Pepsi were inserted, because why not; stages were covered with Pepsi-branded billboards telling you how delicious the drink was; and there was even an annoying "Pepsiman!" theme song playing over the top of the action.
The game was aimed at youngsters, with its playful tone and simple platforming making it accessible for just about anyone. Impressionable youngsters. Who might actually be tempted to buy a Pepsi by this money-grabbing wasteland of a game.