There are few elements of modern media more pervasive and pecuniary than the much-maligned product placement. In return for some cash to help get your game finished and distributed, companies insert their references to their products so that audiences needn’t feel any respite from corporate advertising culture. (Images property of Atlus, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Kojima Productions, Naughty Dog and Nintendo) However, not all product placements are as sinister as I make them sound. In fact, over the years, video games have included a wide variety of product placements that range from confusing to downright bizarre. Here, I have curated a list of some of the product placements in games that are so baffling that I’m not even sure they’re advertising anymore. Death Stranding - Monster Energy The grim, post-apocalyptic USA of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding is in equal parts dangerous and clearly based more on Iceland than America. Deadly, ghostlike spirits roam the land, forcing much of...
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