---
title: 'Award-Winning Campaign: GEMA Gold - McDonald’s X Genshin Impact'
url: 'https://alliedglobalmarketing.com/emea/hoyoverse'
markdown: 'https://alliedglobalmarketing.com/emea/hoyoverse.md'
date: '2025-11-07'
description: "Overview In September 2024, McDonald's and HoYoverse joined forces to launch the restaurant's first-ever gaming-themed Adult Meal collaboration, a limited-time Genshin Impact x McDonald's menu. Available nationwide through the McDonald's app and digital kiosks, the campaign brought fans of one of t…"
taxonomy:
  category:
    - 'N America'
    - Partnerships
---

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 Knowledge: N America

#  Award-Winning Campaign: GEMA Gold - McDonald’s X Genshin Impact 

 11.07.25

## Overview

In September 2024, McDonald's and HoYoverse joined forces to launch the restaurant's first-ever gaming-themed **Adult Meal collaboration**, a limited-time **Genshin Impact x McDonald's** menu. Available nationwide through the McDonald's app and digital kiosks, the campaign brought fans of one of the world's most popular anime-inspired games into a real-world celebration of fandom.

The partnership aimed to **drive McDonald's app downloads, increase meal purchases**, and **reward loyal Genshin Impact players** with exclusive in-game digital items --- transforming the QSR experience into a cross-platform activation that merged the physical and digital worlds.

## The Challenge

McDonald's sought to tap into a highly engaged, digitally native audience that lives online and values exclusivity and community.\\ HoYoverse wanted to **reward its fanbase** and **extend its reach** into new demographics through a globally recognized brand.

Both brands needed a creative platform that would translate **fan passion into measurable engagement** and prove that gaming partnerships can drive real business outcomes.

## Our Approach

Allied Global Marketing worked with McDonald's and HoYoverse to design a **fan-first, digitally native campaign** rooted in community insights and powered by cultural relevance:

- **Digital-first integration:** Exclusive in-game rewards (a Wind Glider, Apple Pie item, recipes, and a name card) were unlocked through real-world McDonald's purchases --- turning meal orders into meaningful digital experiences.
- **Social amplification:** HoYoverse's creator network and influencers drove massive engagement across gaming and anime communities.
- **Experiential activations:** Immersive LAN gaming events in **Los Angeles and Houston** brought fans, cosplayers, and streamers together in the world of Teyvat.
- **Iconic visibility:** The collaboration was teased on the **McDonald's Times Square Billboard**, connecting fandom with mainstream audiences.

## The Results

The campaign **shattered benchmarks** across digital and sales channels, proving the power of fandom when combined with cultural relevance and smart digital design.

- Genshin Meal and Genshin Apple Pie units sold over-exceeded all projections.
- Genshin Impact Meal reached highest digital in-app product of all time in terms of penetration/proportion, indicating the digital savviness of Genshin/McDonald's fans.
- New users (Genshin fans) that joined McDonald's app exceeded projections.
- 1.2B social reach, proving the power of fandom

## Why It Worked

1. **First-of-its-kind crossover**: McDonald's first gaming-themed Adult Meal and Genshin Impact's first major QSR collaboration in the U.S.
2. **Digital rewards over physical toys**: The campaign flipped the traditional fast-food model by offering **in-game exclusives** instead of physical merchandise --- resonating with a digital-native fanbase.
3. **Built on genuine fan culture**: The partnership originated from organic "McGenshin" memes, harnessing real fan energy for brand storytelling.
4. **True fandom marketing**: By speaking the language of gamers and anime fans, the campaign built cultural credibility and drove measurable business growth.

## Impact & Result

This campaign redefined what's possible in **brand × gaming collaborations**, proving that when fan communities are treated as creative partners, they reward brands with exponential impact.

**A cultural moment turned into a** GEMA Gold-winning campaign\*\*, uniting one of the world's biggest gaming fandoms with one of the most recognizable global brands.

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