8 Video Game Product Placements So Good We Bought In

1. SOAP (Sonic Adventure 2)

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SEGA

Is it sacrilege to significantly alter the design of an iconic character just to earn a few extra bucks? Probably, but SEGA don't seem to care one iota when it comes to Sonic.

Given the visual and aural tragedy that is both Sonic Boom and the Sonic the Hedgehog movie's iterations of the Blue Blur, the company swapping out Sonic's iconic shoes for a branded pair in Sonic Adventure 2 feels like a minor slap in the face by comparison. Especially when you consider that the spangly new sneakers, provided by footwear specialists SOAP, inform the hodgepig's new-found ability to grind down all manner of rails - something he couldn't do in the original Sonic Adventure.

Though a mechanic clearly inspired by the extreme sports boom of the early 2000s, SEGA forced a narrative contrivance through Sonic's ironically non-slip SOAP slip-ons, based on real life shoes with a special groove specifically designed to peel the paint off all manner of public installations.

Billboards for SOAP were also dotted around Sonic Adventure's decidedly more urban environments. Who wouldn't want to own the same pair of cleats as Sonic, even if - stupidly - they weren't available in his iconic red and white?

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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.