Sneak King? When discussing the top-selling games for the original Xbox console, you will be reminded of multiple classics. Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Fable, and the Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City Two-Pack are games you would expect in the top five. Falling in between these four games is a game no one would expect.
What makes it unexpected? Is it because the game is a licensed game? No, Shrek 2 sold 2.5 million copies in two years. Is it because it’s a bad game? Terrible games have sold well before. It is because this is a meme game? No, even today meme games sell very well. Why does this #3 best-selling Xbox game stand out? Burger King’s Sneak King is all three.
Sneak King: A Promotional Game
Sneak King is not the first nor the last fast food tie-in game ever made. 1982’s Avoid the Noid, based on the ill-fated Domino’s pizza mascot, holds that distinction. Ronald McDonald has a slew of NES and SEGA games. You even have a chance to romance the Colonel out of his blend of 11 herbs and spices in I Love You, Colonel Sanders.
Sneak King was one of three promotional games promoted by Burger King to promote their newest mascot: The Burger King. This was just an updated iteration of the same promotion. This new Burger King was unsettling. Labeled “The Creepy King,” this version of The Burger King would appear in someone’s bed or behind a door to offer some unsuspecting person food from the fast food chain.
Sneak King plays into this ad campaign as you take the role of The King skulking around four different stages. Construction workers, children, and others are getting hungry and no one packed them a lunch. Who will save them from low blood sugar and possible lectures on diabetes from Wilford Brimley? Controlling The Burger King, you sneak up on the famished NPCs and surprise them with food.
Sneak King Sold How Many Copies?
How could Sneak King sell so many copies? Start with the price point. It with Big Bumpin’ and Pocketbike Racer was sold for $3.99 with the purchase of any value meal at any Burger King. This was cheaper than Xbox Live Arcade games at the time. Twelve dollars plus tax is not a bad price for three games not counting the Whoppers. Later in February 2007, the games dropped to $0.99. This would have made the games even more attractive for someone looking to fill their collection.
This sale was a timed advertisement. The advertisement ran from November 19 until December 24, 2006. While we know in February, there were still copies of Sneak King needing to be sold, the original run would have given a feeling of FOMO. The games may not have been the best but that would not stop gamers from wanting-no, needing to get their hands on something they may not have an opportunity to get again.
The Power of Memes
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Never underestimate the power of a meme. Memes are powerful, marketable, and sharable. Memes create buzz through word of mouth. I remember the Burger King commercials becoming the equivalent of what we today would call “viral.” My coworkers would ask, “Hey, did you see the new Burger King commercials?” Soon, the Burger King, despite ignoring personal space, and his campaign would be talked about in homes, on radio, television, and online.
Around the same time, The Burger King was involved in a “romance” with actress Brooke Burke. More attention was given to the franchise. Burger King decided to wrap it all together with the games as Brooke Burke appeared as a playable character in Pocketbike Racer. She also voiced the Subservant Chicken in Big Bumpin’. All in the name of continuing the meme.
But to make a meme work, you have to know your audience. Burger King failed in their attempt at campaigning for more female chefs in the food industry by tweeting “Women belong in the kitchen!” These three games showed the marketing department knew the demographic and it shows, especially with Sneak King.
Conclusion
Can we call this game what it is? A cheap and shameless promotional title only intended to sell Whoppers, Onion Rings, croissan’wiches, and other assorted BK products. At no point should Sneak King be treated as anything less. The gameplay is a bit lacking. The King can hide in a few places, raise a bridge, and karate chop down a tree. You sneak on people. You feed said people. The game received middle-of-the-road reviews but still somehow sold 3.2 million copies. This was an advertisement for Burger King you paid for and it worked.
Revenue at Burger King went up 40% during this period. Blitz Games, the developer, won two awards and earned enough money to improve their future products. This period of advertisement should be studied by anyone looking into marketing. If anything, it proves that something doesn’t have to be good to make money.
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