BUSINESS NEWS
The chain is cooking up a Col. Sanders dating sim
Mike Snider
USA TODAY
Published 3:32 PM EDT Sep 10, 2019
Is KFC really cooking up a Colonel Sanders dating game?
Darn tootin’ as the fast-food chains’ mascot might say. A new entry on the Steam PC game store entitled “I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator,” promises to let players see if they “have what it takes to be the business partner of and win the heart of the most famous chicken salesman of all time.”
The game – KFC has confirmed to USA TODAY – will hit Steam on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Coming to PCs and Mac computers, the game “goes through three acts in which users are given options that have an effect on the outcome of the game, as well as the chance to date the Colonel,” KFC said in a statement.
“The suave Colonel Sanders, in his signature all-white suit and folded-to-perfection bowtie, also joins the culinary school to embark on his journey of becoming the world’s greatest fried chicken salesman, adding to your list of challenges,” KFC said.
A spacey trailer, produced in anime video game motif, shows a slim goateed and mustachioed Col. Sanders slicing up lettuce and riding a flying salt shaker. Other characters shown include rivals, friends and a Professor Dog.
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The simulation promises multiple hours of game play with cooking battles and “cute miniature food.” The goal: “Do you have what it takes to survive culinary school? Will Colonel Sanders choose you to be his business partner? Or maybe even so much more? Find out in the most finger lickin’ good dating simulator ever created—a game that KFC actually made,” the game’s description says.
The studio listed as the game’s developer, Psyops, which has offices in L.A. and New York City, has released games in the past, but more recently it has created commercials for Oculus Quest VR headset, Coca-Cola, Baskin-Robbins and Traveler’s Insurance.
The Psyop website says it creates content that “wins the hearts and minds of audiences and consumers. We blur the lines between advertising and entertainment by telling compelling stories, creating engaging characters and building unique worlds.”
A world based around Col. Sanders would certainly classify as unique. And the chain released this tweet today:
KFC has made some other unique moves recently. To kickoff the NFL season, the fast-food chain tabbed actor Sean Astin, who played the title character in the 1993 sports film “Rudy,” to become “Colonel Rudy” in a new TV ad.
Also recently, KFC began testing a plant-based chicken sandwich and chicken nuggets at selected locations.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
