10 Video Games With Shameless Product Placement

1. Super Monkey Ball 2 - Dole Bananas

92029 Zool 2 (World) 4
SEGA

Here's an example of product placement that's actually appealing. Or should that be 'apeeling'?

Super Monkey Ball 2's link with global agricultural powerhouse Dole was a perfect match. The spherical simian sim's potassium-rich pick-ups were just ripe for advertising, and having the sticker of the world's leading banana exporter on them made absolute sense, without even slightly detracting from the game. If anything, seeing fruit advertised in a game certainly made a welcome change from the usual array of junk foods and trendy clothing labels.

Donkey Kong probably looked on ruefully, having missed out on a split of those lucrative advertising profits. No doubt SEGA made a bunch.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.