McDonald’s partners with XBox to bring in-game food into the real world

Leo UK’s returning platform sees legendary food from gaming properties made real, including Halo, Fallout, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush

By Creative Salon

25 August 2026

McDonald’s and Leo UK are bringing legendary food from games into the real world with their “Side Missions” platform, teaming up with XBOX in an immersive 360 campaign co-created with gaming fans.

At the centre of the partnership is a limited-time Side Missions Menu, inspired by iconic and often mythical foods from each game. The menu brings in-game food into the real world, from Halo-inspired Black Pepper & Garlic McNuggets, based on Moa Nuggets, to Blamco Cheese Bites inspired by Fallout 76’s™ Blamco Mac & Cheese.

First launched in 2025, Side Missions was built on a simple fan truth, that a trip to McDonald’s is often life’s best detour. This year, rather than simply borrowing from gaming culture, McDonald’s is creating a campaign together with fans of six of XBOX’s most recognisable gaming franchises: Halo: Campaign Evolved, Fallout 76, Forza Horizon 6, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.

The 360, co-created campaign begins with teaser activity on 11th August through XBOX and IP-owned social channels, with McDonald’s Golden Arches reimagined in the visual language of each game. Gaming creators, such as Poopernoddle & Blue & Queenie, will also participate in the campaign by leaking and teasing the collaboration, using streams and social content to seed the idea that legendary in-game food is coming to McDonald’s.

On 19th August, a creator preview and tasting event will give gaming creators early access to the menu, packaging and game-inspired details before launch. The event will be built around immersive zones themed around the core IPs, blending gaming lore, Easter eggs and menu discovery moments to co-create content designed to travel across fan communities.

Paid Social and creator activity will bring the idea to life, showing characters and real cosplayers trialling and reviewing the new menu items. Paid and earned creators including Jakey Davies & George Clarke, will bring the Side Missions Menu to life through reviews, reactions, easter eggs and fan-led content, while TikTok activity will encourage fans to create their own Side Missions. On YouTube, the campaign will make use of collaborative posting opportunities across XBOX and game IP channels to help gaming communities participate in the campaign.

At launch on 22nd August, a 60” hero film shows iconic gaming characters abandoning their main missions to go on a Side Mission to McDonald’s. The spot opens with a scene from Halo: Campaign Evolved™, where two Marines take a tactical detour to go on a Side Mission to McDonald's. The film shows characters from the six gaming titles convening in McDonald's, having also left their games. The film will run across TV, social and digital, with supporting cutdowns.

OOH and in-restaurant activity will make the partnership visible in the real world, using visuals from in the games to create the packaging and menu items. Contextual placements, including journey-led prompts such as Citymapper activity, will encourage fans to leave their main missions to go on a Side Mission to McDonald’s.

The partnership extends into the MyMcDonald’s App, where customers can access daily deals and use their Rewards points to unlock exclusive in-game items in the participating titles. The rewards include bundles, emotes, boosters and skins, with one of the unlocks being a McDonald’s inspired Master Chief Armor for Halo: Campaign Evolved™.

Tim Kenward, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: "Gaming is all about imagination and the worlds we love to get lost in. What excites me about this partnership is that we're bringing parts of these iconic gaming worlds to life, giving fans the chance to experience food they have only ever seen on screen. As a huge Fallout fan, I’m most excited for the Blamco Cheesy Potato Bites.”

Andrew Long, Chief Creative Officer at Leo UK, said: “For years fans have been bringing McDonald’s iconic food into the world of their favourite games. So now felt like the perfect moment to turn the tables, by bringing the most iconic food from fans' favourite games into the world of McDonald’s. From Halo™ Moa Chicken to Fallout™ Blamco Cheese, there’s never been a better excuse to take a side mission to McDonald’s."

The campaign was created by Leo UK for McDonald’s. Media planning and buying was handled by OMD. PR and consumer outreach was handled by Red Consultancy. CRM was handled by TMW, digital by tms, and POP communications by Linney.

Credits

Campaign title: McDonald’s Side Missions

Advertising agency: Leo UK

CCO (at time of campaign development): Mark Elwood

Executive Creative Director (at time of campaign development): Andrew Long

Creative Directors: Jason Keet, James Hodson

Senior Creatives: Abi Stephenson, Matt Jones

CSO: Josh Bullmore

Head of Strategy: Joe Beveridge

Head of Comms Strategy: Jen Leung

Planning Director: Beth Mackenzie

CEO: Carly Avener

Managing Director: Sam Houlston

Managing Partner: Nat Barry

Business Lead: Steph Bates

Senior Account Director: Charlotte Crawley

Senior Account Manager: Brittony Kelly

Account Manager: Mollie O’Sullivan

Account Executive: Gabriella Joseph

Head of Project Management: Siobhan Mulcahy

Senior Project Manager: Annie Imam

Head of Design: Dave Allen

Design Director: Paul Reddington

Lead Senior Designer: Roxana Iriciuc

Senior Designer: Tomek Drozdowski

Motion Design Director: Carmen Perez Jimenez

Senior Motion Designer: Jacson Mitchell

Motion Designer: Bey Redding-O’Brien

Studio Director: Ricky Pettiford

Design Producer: Ethan Lynton

Head of McDonald’s Production: Anna Cartwright

Senior Producer: Helen Choonpicharn

Producer: Kinga Lily

Broadcast Affairs Coordinator: Michelle Ward

Radio Producer: Adam Furman

Client: McDonald’s

Marketing & Menu Director: Hannah Pain

Head of Marketing Food and Beverage: Liz Whitbread

Heads of Brand: Chloe Bissell, Harriet Buchanan

Marketing Manager (Brand): Alexandra Martin

Marketing Managers: James Story , Stephanie Pullen

Marketing Manager, Digital Comms: Ana Saffer

Consumer PR Lead: Melodie Richards

Senior Brand Managers: Harry Jessop, Ciara Reddington , Celia Brown, Joanna Maycock

Marketing Consultant: Elizabeth Culverhouse

Brand Manager: Annie Ranken

Assistant Brand Manager: Andriana Georgiou

Campaign Assistants: Martina Avolio, Abbie Johnson

Media buying agency: OMD

PR agency: RED

POP: Linney

CRM: TMW

Digital & merchandising: tms

Production

Stills

Photographer: Rob Billington

Home Economists (Stills): Elaine Ngan, Udo Reichelt-Schaurer

Head of Art Production (Publicis Production): Jo Hodge

Stills Production & Post-Production Agency: Publicis Production

Post-Production Agency (CG): Black Kite Studios

AV: Brand

Production Company: Academy

Director: Romain Chassaing

Director’s Assistant: Caroline Soussen

Producer: Steve Overs

Executive Producer: Darapen Vongsa-nga

Production Manager: Rosie Pike

Production Assistant: Hayley Norton

DoP: Mathieu Plainfossé

1st AD: Didier Mallet

Production Designer: Olly Williams

Home Economist: Elaine Ngan

Service Company: B2Y

Offline Edit: Sam Bould @ tenthree

Offline Edit Assistant: Alice Payne

Post: Black Kite Studios

AV: Food

Production Company: Darling Films Ltd

Director: Scott Grummett

Producer: Kelly Doyle Montejo

Executive Producer: Claire Timms

Production Manager: Lilly

DoP: Tim Green

VFX Supervisor: Rob Peacock

1st AD: Isusko Garcia

Production Designer: Olly Williams

Home Economist: Udo Reichelt-Schaurer

Assistant Food Stylist: Olha Diachenko

Offline Edit: Adam Rudd @ Final Cut

Offline Edit Assistant: Ruby Browne

Post-Production: Black Kite Studios

Brand AV

Colourist: George Kyriacou

Creative Director: Phil Oldham

VFX Leads: Andrew Bartholomew, Jorge Montiel Meurer

VFX Artists: Alexandra Lucut, Andrea Malpede, Chris Gill, Daniel Moore, David Early, David Wanger, David Watson, Elia Goettlicher, Ethan Francis, Federico Sguera, Florian Mounié, Guy Lubin, Heidi Prescott, James Bown, James Hansell, James Russell, Jamie Lancaster, Jim Cullen, Joel Paulin, Lino Khay, Martin Villert, Matt Hutchins, Neil Szymanski, Pablo Oliver, Rémy Herissé, Sith Khay, Sophie Langton, Stephen Greaves, Theo Mall, Tom Mackay-Thomas, William Bell

VFX Executive Producer: Hazel Gibson

VFX Senior Producer: Hannah Jarrold

VFX Production Coordinator: Leanne Gillett Finglas

Food AV & Digi Promo

Senior VFX Producer: Phil Brewster

Colour: George Kyriacou

VFX Lead: Guy Lubin

CG Lead: Elia Goettlicher

CG Team: Sophie Langton, Alfie Gunter, Darren Macpherson

FX: Chan Ah-Hong

Compositing Team: Laurence Lavoie, Emily Govinden, Antoine Delclaud, Theo Mall

Social