Panda Express Launches Interactive Gaming Campaign for Hot Orange Chicken

Panda Express has launched a cross-platform campaign featuring Hot Orange Chicken, a cult-favorite dish. The campaign includes interactive custom cutscenes, a first-of-its-kind format for the QSR space, embedded in Fortnite Creative and Roblox gameplay. The campaign aims to reach Gen Z gamers and deliver enigmatic, story-driven clues about Hot Orange Chicken.

Panda Express, the largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept in the U.S., has launched a pioneering cross-platform campaign to reintroduce its cult-favorite dish, Hot Orange Chicken. The campaign, titled "The Swicy Sizzle," is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space, combining interactive custom cutscenes with immersive gaming experiences on Fortnite Creative and Roblox [1].

The campaign, developed in partnership with Media AOR The Many and playable media leader Super League, aims to reach Gen Z gamers by embedding short, cinematic moments within the natural breaks of gameplay. These cutscenes, which appear across four Fortnite Creative maps, do not disrupt the gaming experience and instead serve as enigmatic, story-driven clues about the return of Hot Orange Chicken [1].

Key features of the campaign include:
- Interactive Custom Cutscenes: These short, cinematic moments are seamlessly integrated into gameplay, allowing players to discover the brand organically while earning exclusive in-game rewards.
- Map-Specific Rewards: Players who complete certain actions on each Fortnite Creative map unlock themed items unique to that gameplay experience.
- Conversational Panda Encounters: Pei Pei, the Panda, appears across multiple maps, engaging with players and building excitement around the return of Hot Orange Chicken.

Within its first two weeks of launch, the campaign has generated notable results, with 265,000+ players watching the cutscenes and earning Panda Express in-game rewards, and players spending 65 days interacting with Pei Pei across both platforms, generating over 185,000 player engagements [1].

The gaming activation will continue to evolve through the end of the year, featuring new creative updates and interactive elements as the experience progresses beyond the initial Hot Orange Chicken launch. Fabiola del Rio, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications at Panda Express, stated, "This partnership doesn't just reach our Gen Z audience; it integrates us natively in their virtual world, where discovery feels like gameplay and engagement becomes an adventure" [1].

Hot Orange Chicken has returned to Panda Express locations nationwide for a limited time this summer, giving fans the chance to satisfy their swicy craving at their local restaurant and in their favorite gaming worlds [1].

References:
[1] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/panda-express-launches-first-of-its-kind-gaming-activation-in-fortnite-creative-and-roblox-to-celeb-ce7c5fdbdb80f427