BK + Xbox = King's ransom

Burger-slinging restaurant chain says sales of 3.2 million BK-themed games helped spur a whopper of traffic and a 40 percent rise in quarterly profits.

If anyone needed proof of the crossover power of games, it came today from an unusual source. Sales of games played a huge part in a spike in profits for a certain company, but it wasn't Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, or any other company one would expect. The Xbox is down with the King--Burger King.

Mmmm...40 percent rise in profits.

The fast-food chain reported a 40 percent spike in quarterly profits for the period ended December 31, 2006. Net income for the company was $38 million for the period, up from $27 million from the same period the previous year.

BK CEO John W. Chidsey attributed the increase in profits to the success of its Burger King-themed Xbox games, which run on both the Xbox and Xbox 360. The company sold three BK games--Sneak King, Pocketbike Racer, and Big Bumpin'--at $3.99 each with the purchase of a BK Value Meal. Burger King even established its own game-publishing company, King Games, and worked with developer Blitz Games for the effort.

"Our brand and our great food continue to resonate with our restaurant guests," said Chidsey. "Specifically, our BK Value Menu, as well as our innovative Xbox game collection--which was the best-selling video game of the holiday season, with more than 3.2 million copies sold--increased both sales and restaurant traffic."

Chidsey's comments about "best-selling video game of the holiday season" were likely a result of corporate spin and combined the numbers of the three different BK titles. Gears of War, the retail holiday champ, sold 1.8 million copies from its early November release to the end of December in the US.

For more information on the BK games, read GameSpot's reviews of Sneak King, Pocketbike Racer, and Big Bumpin'.

182 Comments

  • JBiker51

    Posted Feb 16, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    I really enjoyed Sneak King and Big Bumpin', but found PocketBike Racer to be just...well...stupid. The Worst In-Game Advertising has to be Big Bumpin', though, because of one comment by the announcer; "He's havin' it his way!"

  • kushster

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    sucks to be in the UK, u cant get these games...

  • DoubleAxe

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 1:48 pm PT

    hmm... I could go for a burger right now

  • Strag3n

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 1:34 pm PT

    its scary really... i truly enjoyed sneak king, though it wasnt all that great. certainly worth the 4 or 5 bucks it cost though

  • high_flier429

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 12:27 pm PT

    Pocket bike racer is by far the best of the three, reminds me of MarioKart in many ways....

  • GSVale

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 10:02 am PT

    Sneak King is great, and the Holiday King! Lets hope for a sequel.

  • L1qu1dSword

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 9:15 am PT

    TACO BELL? UGHHH nasty. Wendy's is cool though.

  • sieg6529

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 9:14 am PT

    I won't play these games on principles, but the suits who realized that kids and their anythingyouwanthoney parents would eat this crap up deserve a bonus.

  • Seram

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 9:12 am PT

    You guys are thinking of these games the wrong way. The point is that they're so stupid, you just have to buy it. I bought Sneak King and it's just so hilarious! The King pwns!

  • quietguy

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 8:43 am PT

    You would be amazed at how many 8 year olds would fall for this game...

  • Dante565

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 8:11 am PT

    Lamest 3 games I have played next to E.T. and The Bible Game. Maybe its because I hate BK altogether. T Bell and Wendy's are where its at. McDonalds is ok too like every 6 months . Really just depends how hungry I am.

  • ReaperXxxx

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 7:09 am PT

    These games are fun as all hell when you have a bunch of friends around. They are great casual games to just pick up and play. There's virtually no learning curve and, for what they are, the games are pretty good. Are these games anything special by modern standards? Not really, they're more like solid XBLA games. Are they something special for $3.99? Yeah, I'd say that I've gotten more than $4 worth of fun from each of them.

    Good job BK! Just realize that you need to set the bar higher for the next game to keep our interest.

  • Fooljeff

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 6:57 am PT

    I wish the games were a little better.

  • Hoopin4thelove

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 6:29 am PT

    lol holiday sales champ BK hahahah
    i bought 2 of em but they all sucked i will never pay for advertisement again

  • warrhamster

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 6:22 am PT

    people actually like these burger king games? i bought one as a gag gift for my friend because he likes splinter cell and i told him sneak king is just as good. at least it was cheap

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 6:18 am PT

    Yup, the Xbox360-brand is very successful.

    Brilliant marketing move by MS and BK!

  • banodyne

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 6:12 am PT

    I loved the idea of this promotion. Cheap simple fun games. I bought a few as holiday gifts too. And dang if I didn't end up getting every achievement in Pocketbike Racer.

  • Psyfon

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 5:59 am PT

    BK had a brillian idea with this one.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 5:40 am PT

    big bumpin is a sweet party game

  • eggsiboss

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 5:33 am PT

    Man I want sneak king so bad, I hate being english some times!

  • ra7krz

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 5:08 am PT

    lol they sucked a$$ l

  • smoothn00dle

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 4:46 am PT

    this game outsold Gear of War!! Shame on M$. Shame *v*

  • ninja929

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 3:45 am PT

    What?!?!?! People actually bought those games?!?!?

  • InFaMoUsInTeNsE

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 3:00 am PT

    I bet you guys ten bucks that McDonald's is going to copy BK somehow with a new "exclusive" promotion...

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    Did McDonalds not give away games before? I know they once give away music cds but did they ever give away games?

  • tenorio_rotc

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 1:28 am PT

    I hope they do this more but maybe less BK influence, tone it down.

  • ebonyflame

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 12:11 am PT

    just goes to prove that cheap affordable and fun to play games can sell. I loved that game Poketbike Racer when playing other people. Almost as fun as playing one ofhose Mario Party games with a group.

  • thor107

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 11:13 pm PT

    YO Sneak King was great. It had a MetalGear solid\Manhunt feel to it. The other 2 games felt like budget software though.....

  • Dude002

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 11:11 pm PT

    I bet you guys ten bucks that McDonald's is going to copy BK somehow with a new "exclusive" promotion...

  • Sir_Crocidile

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 9:49 pm PT

    That is pretty crazy. Who knew this would be such a huge success. Regardless, you can bet in the next year or two we will see far more of these kinds of games.

  • LessThanMike

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 9:48 pm PT

    And the world of shameless promoting continues, you go BK....maybe i do wanna be a french fry

  • SecretWasianMan

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:58 pm PT

    Although, I'm more of a Wendy's kinda guy. You gotta rock that dollar menu.

  • SecretWasianMan

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:57 pm PT

    MORE FLOURISHES!!!

  • neuter7919

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:47 pm PT

    Sneak King was hilariously awesome, but the other two games were unplayable crap. If only I didn't have to buy a value meal and throw it away just to buy the games...

  • The_Fell_One

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:44 pm PT

    I love me some pocketbike racer.

  • seasponge2004

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:11 pm PT

    Wow. 3 million copies! Thats as many as Gears of War!

  • Mr_Saturn26

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:10 pm PT

    Holy crap, BK really got alot of money.

  • 0dazubeN

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:09 pm PT

    Ugg...MY ARTERIES!
    *dies*

  • K1LLSWITCH

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:03 pm PT

    Ugh ... wonderful. Now there will most likely be a sequel to this BK video games phenomenon. Thanks gamers. I'd rather hear the Barney theme song played over and over again than to see another BK video game being promoted on television or on gaming sites such as this one.

  • Megavideogamer

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 8:00 pm PT

    Yeah I bought Sneak King and Big Bumpin'. Yep these games did suck but so did the food at Burger King, But I expected both the Food and Games to suck, So it worked out I guess.

  • GoddBless

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 7:22 pm PT

    There are a lot of people with a phobia of clowns, so a McDonalds game may not sell as well. As for Wendy's....wasn't Freckle B!tches in Saints Row?

  • Final13

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 7:06 pm PT

    Well ofcourse sales are going to go up! You are selling video games one of teh largest electronic industries and making teh people buy fast food at atleast $5 a meal.

  • jknight5422

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:58 pm PT

    Somebody actually played those crappy Burger King games? The
    white trash consumer world has spoken.

  • funkybar88

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:46 pm PT

    I can't wait for Mcdonald's and the playstation 3 or wii games

  • brantothehizzam

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:33 pm PT

    i like the burger king its a mascot that appeals to kids and adults unlike creepy ronald mcdonald (but burger king is pretty creepy in a good way) soon we'll be buying ronald mcdonald mini motorcross

  • TryMe01

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:15 pm PT

    anyone up for seconds?

  • wakko19991

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:14 pm PT

    they can only go to this well once or twice

  • Tking1293

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 6:10 pm PT

    Man..now they're gonna make more of these and they'll jst get stupider and stupider.

  • Matth13

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 5:35 pm PT

    my 5 year old loves playing Pocketbike Racer. thanks BK

  • sentay0

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 5:20 pm PT

    Those games sucked though, everyone bought the games to see how good they would be but they weren't very good.

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