Wendy’s Has a Branded Role-Playing Game Now

We have heard for centuries that all is fair in love and war, so perhaps the bigwigs at Wendy’s thought that pair needed to become a trio, with “advertising” as the addition. That could be one explanation for the company’s weekend introduction of Feast of Legends, a Wendy's-branded role-playing game that makes obvious the fast food chain's desire to roast McDonald’s.

Feast of Legends is a 100-page role-playing game by @Wendys and you can play it right now. https://t.co/JFGD18CVda

— Nerdist (@nerdist) October 3, 2019

Adweek gives the most thorough account of the product, unveiled at New York Comic Con, that makes plain that Wendy’s will forever have beef with frozen beef. Almost four months after the business had claimed a prize for its “Fortnite” swipe at McDonald’s and that enterprise’s practice of freezing meat, the entity is choosing to be fresh again through the game’s interesting intricacies and ultimate goal—the defeat of the Ice Jester within the realm of the Deep Freeze. We have grown accustomed to seeing food-centric businesses crafting creative campaigns to cook their competitors, but this addition to the we’re-better-than-you battle exists as a true exercise in self-confidence (and obsessive detail).

Our latest with @Wendys in the fight against frozen beef: a 90-page RPG, #FeastOfLegends. https://t.co/f7yc4oKAhE

— VMLY&R (@VMLYR) October 4, 2019

That depth comes courtesy of a 97-page (!!!) manual that explains how players can form “a band of adventurers” intent on taking on the aforementioned adversary and “his hoard [sic] of frozen minions.” Grammar error aside, the game will likely succeed among devotees who are eager to help Queen Wendy, because it’s a rather robust study in brand awareness, giving players plenty of opportunities to construct lengthy missions that will no doubt make them hungry and lead to purchases of Wendy’s food. In fact, as Adweek explains, consuming brand-specific goods while one plays bodes well for that person’s attempt to vanquish the Ice Jester, especially if the individual is eating an item that matches his or her identifying group on the game.

We could certainly see end-users feasting on a Double Stack while belonging to the Order of the Beef and housing chili while serving the Order of the Sides. We know that Wendy’s honchos can, too, so this game, instead of being a vestigial nod to something way beyond its heyday, will be an in-the-moment way for the business to try to make Ronald McDonald a sad clown.