Product Placement

Meez

February 3, 2018 decafjedi Meez

The halcyon days of gleefully chugging Mountain Dew in Meez are at an end. The virtual playground closed shop in 2017. [Source]

Dave Mirra BMX Challenge

January 13, 2018 decafjedi Dave Mirra Series

I ollied a park bench, did a 720 into a moto whip, followed by a bunny hop barspin into a suicide no-hand, and finished with a double soda machine find in Dave Mirra BMX Challenge for the Wii.

Street Rod

January 7, 2018 decafjedi Street Rod

That’s a fine looking Coke machine in front of Gus’ Gas in the DOS version of Street Rod. It’s a bit more abstract in the Commodore 64 port.

The Amiga version is already in the archive.

Dungeon Fighter Online

December 13, 2017 decafjedi Dungeon Fighter Online

This ornate Coca-Cola machine is a bit of a mystery. The sprite was ripped from Dungeon Fighter Online, but it’s unclear whether it’s an unused asset, a region-specific object, or part of a forgotten limited-time event. Can anyone shed some light on its origins?

UPDATE: Reddit user m0mentum_ confirms this soda machine originally appeared during a 2009 event in the Korean version of the game. Thanks for solving the mystery!

Quest for Bush

November 6, 2017 decafjedi Quest for Bush

Just how ubiquitous are video game soda machines? Well, there’s a Pepsi machine in Quest for Bush (a.k.a. Night of Bush Capturing), a 2006 FPS developed by an al-Qaeda propaganda organization.

The Sims

October 3, 2017 decafjedi The Sims Series

Not long after The Sims launched, Maxis partnered with Pepsi to deliver this soda machine as free DLC. This entry wouldn’t have been possible without fan-driven efforts to preserve the Pepsi machine DLC and patch the game’s launcher for Windows 10. Thanks, everyone!

Bionic Commando

October 3, 2017 decafjedi Bionic Commando

I’m not sure I have the timeline correct, but the 2009 version of Bionic Commando seems to have launched with Pepsi product placement, which later switched to a generic soda machine.

Perhaps a contract expired?

NBA 2K17

September 26, 2017 decafjedi NBA 2K Series

Hoopin’ it up with Mountain Dew in NBA 2K17! Hey, I wonder if Mountain Dew returned to sponsor NBA 2K18, too…

I’ll take that as a “yes.” [Source]

NBA Street Homecourt

September 6, 2017 decafjedi NBA Street

Rehydrate between games in NBA Street Homecourt with your choice of Sprite or Gatorade!

Maniac Mansion

August 23, 2017 decafjedi Maniac Mansion

Hey, it’s the Pepsi machine from Maniac Mansion! The image above is from the DOS (V1) version. Pictured below are the Amiga, Commodore 64, and Famicon releases.

Meanwhile, the NES port is already in the archive.

Catch-a-Coke

July 25, 2017 decafjedi Catch-a-Coke

As part of a 1983 promotional campaign, Coca-Cola began outfitting Coke vending machines with Catch-a-Coke, a simple LCD game customers could play while waiting for the machine to dispense their drinks. The virtual Coke machine on the left side of the screen is, to the best of my knowledge, the first soda machine to ever appear in a video game.

Here’s a photo of Catch-a-Coke in action, direct from the Coca-Cola Company’s 1982 annual report.

You can get a better idea of what these Catch-a-Coke units actually looked like in the photo below. Please note that Catch-a-Coke is not to be used as a gambling device.

While we’re at it, here’s a news item covering what would eventually become Catch-a-Coke in the April 1983 issue of Electronic Games.

Here’s another Catch-a-Coke news story from the February/March 1983 issue of Vidiot.

If you want the real scoop on Catch-a-Coke — complete with a blurry screenshot — check out the April 1983 issue of Video Games…

Later in the year, Bandai Electronics would go on to produce a handheld version of Catch-a-Coke. This promotional item, pictured below, was distributed to members of the Coca-Cola sales team. Now, go out there and sell some Coke!