McDonald’s Hong Kong Branch has finally stepped into the metaverse, joining a host of other global brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Gucci to embrace web3.
The leading fast food chain launched its metaverse dubbed the McNuggets Land on Thursday, July 21, on Animoca Brands’ sister gaming platform, The Sandbox.
McDonald’s launched the iconic metaverse to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Chicken McNuggets (a type of chicken nugget), which became available worldwide in 1983.
McDonald’s McNuggets Land Ramps Off With Sandbox’s Gaming Protocol
Built on the online gaming platform, The Sandbox, McNuggets Land allows Sandbox users to play mini-games in a McNuggets-themed virtual space. Players who complete quests and other McNuggets-themed activities earn rewards such as SAND tokens (the Sandbox native cryptocurrency) and in-game accessories.
The metaverse also allows Hong Kong-based Sandbox users to earn real-world McDonald’s coupons when they complete quests and will remain open till August 28.
For context, The Sandbox is an Ethereum-based metaverse gaming platform and a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based gaming company Anomica Brands Corporation Ltd. It allows users to create, monetize, and customize their gaming experience in the metaverse.
McDonald’s metaverse project isn’t the Sandbox’s first with such a brand. It has secured various deals with household brands and celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Adidas, and Warner Music Group, to help develop decentralized virtual worlds. In December 2021, Adidas bought land in The Sandbox Metaverse as it prepared to launch its first NFT collection, Adidas Originals.
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Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-based Sandbox-powered McNuggets Land isn’t McDonald’s first blockchain-enabled project. McDonald’s has often employed blockchain technology for its promotional activities as its US and mainland China branches launched NFT collections in late 2021.
In late October 2021, McDonald’s USA unveiled its first NFT to celebrate the 40th anniversary of McRib, its periodically sold barbecue-flavored pork sandwich. In early October 2021, the China-based McDonald’s branch introduced its first NFT to celebrate its 31st anniversary in the mainland China market.
Moreover, an NFT dubbed “Big Mac Cube” was a 3D digital token inspired by McDonald’s branding and the shape of its new headquarters building in Shanghai. Following this, McDonald’s China became the first Chinese restaurant brand to release NFT collectibles.
But besides Mcdonald’s, several global brands, such as Coca-Cola, Adidas, Starbucks, and Nike, have ventured into Web3 and are actively exploring the power of blockchain technology. Web3-based technologies like virtual space and non-fungible tokenization provide these companies with innovative strategies to promote their brands.
In July 2022, Coca-Cola marked its first anniversary in the metaverse with NFTs inspired by the bubbles inside Coke bottles and the themes of connection and unity. So far, Coca-Cola has created over 4,000 collectibles, some of which are limited editions.