McDonald’s is no stranger to collaborations these days. In my opinion, they don’t milk the idea enough and when they do decide to do a partnership they don’t put in enough effort to really make it feel like a cool limited time experience. Their Jujutsu Kaisen collab was met with a very room temperature response because the only real difference was they offered special sauces (that customers said they enjoyed about the same or less than the regular sauce offerings). However the executives still see the potential in anime-related business deals and are back to try again with America’s fast food icon. Let’s see if they cooked anything more satiating this time around.
According to the Genshin Impact X account, the promotion will run from September 17th to September 29th in America. You’ll need a McDonald’s App account to take full advantage of the deal as when you order an apple pie through it, you’ll receive some in-game currency goodies. The apple pie seems to be the focus of the promotion as it supposedly will come in a special box that displays Kazuha and Beidou with the art. There will also be a “Deluxe McCrispy” meal that comes with the apple pie, but also offers a cosmetic glider and name card as rewards for players. Overall I’m thinking this is not too shabby. The in-game rewards are a nice incentive and thank fuck to whoever took the time to say “hey maybe we should actually put anime art on the box”. I wish it came with a little physical figurine or something, hell even a keychain or sticker to offer customers a collectible item for the time period that isn’t a box soiled with apple pie smell and moisture. Considering the travesty of the JJK sauces though, this is absolutely a step in the right direction and I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself sneaking down to ole Mickey D's before the event is over.
It’s crazy just how mainstream anime-style games and shows have gotten. This type of huge deal would have been reserved for Pokémon (and only Pokémon) back in the day. Considering the cost and abysmal nutrition of fast food, it’s nice to have reason to justify stopping by a drive-thru once in a while to relive that childhood nostalgia of physical Happy Meal art and toys. Do you play Genshin Impact? Did you hear about the collaboration? Are you going to snatch up one of those apple pies? Collect ingredients in the open world, find a stove, and cook up some french fries and a chicken sandwich in the comments below!
