Leading MMO Partners with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay

Announced this week, one of the industry's leading MMOs will be partnering with food and beverage giant PespiCo/Frito-Lay. Starting next month, players will be able to acquire special consumables that will mirror real life products such as Doritos, Lay's Potato Chips, and Pepsi brand sodas. While it is being heralded as one of the greatest innovations in computer gaming history by the company who thought of it, there does seem to be plenty of backlash within the game's playerbase. One of largest concerns is that the inclusion of commercial products will create a pay to win system where all players would be forced to acquire them in order to compete. GCD News was able to sit down with the game's lead director and ask him a few questions about the partnership with one of America's corporations:

The new Pepsi/Frito-Lay items
are said to 'barely affect game
mechanics' 

Why did your company decide to partner with PepsiCo/FritoLay?

It was a pretty simple decision, really. They make snacks and drinks, our game has a mechanic where a player can consume food and beverages to gain buffs. I am surprised that we are the first to think of it.

Players seem concerned these new items have the potential to break immersion within the game world.

Look, all players are going to be worried about is being too immersed in the bold, yet smooth spice of Cool Ranch Doritos they are eating while battling the Sour Cream & Onion King of the Salty Crisplands.

Are you planning to create a 'pay to win' environment?

This merger does NOT mean the game will be pay to win. These items will  have no effect on existing stats. I repeat, NO effect on existing stats. Instead, these consumables will affect a brand new stat called 'Snack & Hydration Index Timer.' Players will need to eat and drink more Pepsi/Frito-Lay products in order to increase the SHIT timer. As long as a player's SHIT timer is above zero, they will have access to the new 'Taco Bell Doritos Locos Dungeon brought to you by TaxSlayer.com' which is where most best in slot gear will be found.

How much will these new items cost?

These items will be 100% free to all players who are subscribed to our game. All they need to do is head down to the local mini-mart and buy 20oz of a crisp, refreshing Mountain Dew product or a bag of punch-your-taste-buds-in-the-nuts-in-a-good-way Doritos. Inside every bag and under every bottle cap is a code redeemable for these in-game items. See? How can it be pay to win when you technically aren't paying us directly.

To what extent will these new items affect the core gameplay experience?

We understand that players players are concerned that their gameplay experience will be affected by the new items. Let me be the first to say that these consumables will only really affect the endgame experience, which right now is only about 43% of our playerbase, which is, from what I have been told by our marketing department, less than half. How can anyone say the core gameplay will be affected when items like the 'Diet Pepsi Max Mana Regen Potion' or 'Doritos Jacked Strength in a Bag' are NOT needed by over half the playerbase?

There are some who have said your company has sold out, what do you have to say to them?

Crack open a bag of new DorFritos, take a long, delicious pull of caffeine free Mountain Dew Y, and remember, it's just a game...and I don't want to be unemployed.