Hit mobile title Subway Surfers is taking a big step with its first multimedia collaboration. And for their inaugural cross-brand they’re partnering with Universal Pictures for an event based around the classic film Back to the Future.
The collaboration between the Subway Surfers and Back to the Future properties will take the form of an exclusive outfit bundle available for purchase that can then be applied to the playable characters in-game, and given the game and movie’s shared love of hoverboards, the deal looks like a match made in heaven.
The partnership set to coincide with the official Back to the Future Day on October 21 (that Marty McFly travels back to in the time-travelling Delorean in the film in order to reset the future).
CEO of Sybo, Mathias Gredal Nørvig, stated, “As gaming and traditional entertainment continue to intersect, we’re honoured to introduce a film franchise as iconic as Back to the Future into the Subway Surfers universe for our first-ever film IP integration.”
“Subway Surfers and Back to the Future have each earned loyal global audiences through the power of nostalgia and community fandom, and we’re excited for these two worlds to collide in the game,” he added.
Senior vice president and general manager of business development for Universal’s games and digital platforms division, Bill Kispert meanwhile added, “Partnering with best-in-class game studios for creative integrations of our iconic franchises is key to the success of reaching new audiences and delighting generations of fans.”
A step towards more collaborations?
Compared to other titles such as Fortnite which have made major brand and media collaborations their bread and butter, this cosmetics pack represents a shift for Subway Surfers – a dramatically successful title for Sybo and a consistent hit since its release, basking in the top download spot even 11 years later.
Ever since Subway Surfers saw an uptick in interest, including on social media app TikTok, Sybo has been making strides in capitalising on this surge in virality. Earlier this year Sybo added “Subway Studio” features to the title, to help create easily shared viral content. Now it seems that Sybo is taking a page out of the books of other hit mobile games and bringing media from across the world into their game to help generate further interest.
