We’ve seen some interesting collaborations between video game companies and others over the years, but the latest teaming between Mercedes and Nintendo could easily take the cake.
The car manufacturer’s Japanese firm just released a series of new television spots that feature characters and scenarios from Nintendo’s racing opus Mario Kart 8, with real actors portraying such characters as Luigi and Princess Peach.
The commercials tie in with Mercedes’ new GLA 180 line, which is currently running at 3,440,000 yen ($30,000) as an asking price, according to Tech In Asia.
This marks the latest move between the two partners, as Mercedes sponsored Mario Kart 8 downloadable content earlier in the year with a trio of playable Mercedes models in the game (for a small fee, of course).
As for seeing these ads in other markets, it’s probably not likely, due to the caricatures with some of the characters (like big-nosed Mario) and the fact that Nintendo of America’s advertising is a little more specific to games, like with its recent ads for Super Smash Bros. That isn’t to say we won’t see any more Mercedes promotion in Mario Kart 8, however, especially considering that tomorrow marks the debut of a new downloadable content pack for the game, which features the arrival of Link from the Legend of Zelda series, along with new tracks and vehicles.
One interesting touch with the ads is that Mercedes went all out to replicate the Mario Circuit track featured in Mario Kart 8, complete with the twisting high road, part of an introduction to the game’s anti-gravity racing capabilities. Obviously, the GLA 180 can’t do that in real life, but it’s interesting to see the auto maker go all out in bringing the track to reality.
Now, if we could just get angry Luigi to make an appearance.
