"Side Missions: Xbox"

28 August 2026

60s

Xbox's bit on the side.

Last year, McDonald's put side quests front and centre with a campaign that gamified fast food. The chain's latest instalment is a tie-up with Xbox, a brand that's been through the wars, to say the least. Cancelled games, mass layoffs, whatever the hell that 'This Is An Xbox' campaign was all about... no wonder the Microsoft-owned platform wants some comfort food in its belly.

Sure enough, agency Leo UK and director Romain Chassaing's commercial sees characters from 'Halo: Campaign Evolved', 'Fallout 76', 'Forza Horizon 6', 'Overwatch 2', et al drop into a Maccy D's like it's (side) mission critical. The result is a consummate blend of live-action and CG that knows how each franchise is meant to look and sound.

Take the green-coloured dialogue options available to the Vault Dwellers ("Today is a good day" "Can I get uhhhhhhhh" and DAVID's personal favourite "Do you accept caps?"), or the sports car that pulls up to the drive-thru window, complete with speedometer, mini-map, and race position. If you've ever wanted to see a denizen of Azeroth use and abuse a touchscreen, now's your chance—so much property damage for some Fiery Buffalo Dip, eh?

There's plenty more Xbox-flavoured menu items where that came from, as the two brands encourage viewers to ignore life's main objectives every once in a while.

UK

Fast Food Restaurants