What Is With Porsche and Video Game Collaborations?
Posted by techtimee@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 109 comments
I thought car manufacturers hated video game collabs because their vehicles can get damaged or be "used improperly". But I hover around some gaming circles and it's hard to notice how often Porsche is collaborating in that industry. Just in this year alone, we have:
League of Legends: Wild Rift, Porsche 911 GT3:
Partnership skin inspired by the 911 GT3, a skin line for six champions, and a racing-themed event running from April to May.
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Resident Evil Requiem, Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT:
The Cayenne Turbo GT serves as the trusted vehicle for the protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy. The game launched on February 27, 2026, and the partnership also includes a real-world show car.
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Neverness to Everness(Game just launched 1 day ago), Porsche 918 Spyder (Upcoming) and the game developers have announced a launch collaboration that will feature the Porsche 918 Spyder as well.
Is this just easy marketing for them? I get that some gamers in the gacha space especially are very wealthy, but it's so weird... because most are broke AF(Raises hand). I was surprised to see Mercedes and Honkai: Star Rail as well partnering to give away a car, but that just seemed like a one off so far.
Are there other car brands heavily marketing in places you generally wouldn't expect? If so, where? Don't tell me Ferrari is partnering with BBQ companies.
jrileyy229@reddit
Say what? Their vehicles don't get damaged... It's a video game. Vehicle Product placement in any kind of entertainment genre has been a thing for 100 years
AnonymousEngineer_@reddit
I'm not sure if that's changed now, but the early versions of Gran Turismo didn't simulate damage for this exact reason.
jrileyy229@reddit
That's been a long rumor that I don't believe. Imagine ps1 30 years ago trying to do dynamic damage processing... Wasn't possible.
rc1024@reddit
I've worked on a few car video games and it's very manufacturer specific. Ferrari really don't like their stuff getting smashed pretty flipped (GT amongst others won't let you roll the cars for this reason). Others don't care so much, especially the more rally oriented manufacturers like Subaru.
Old_Let6608@reddit
Gaming is also one of the few spaces where you can experiance a car emotionally without owning it. Driving a Porsche 911 GT3 in a game still builds attachment to the brand. That’s huge from a marketing perspective.
emceelokey@reddit
You know how people still want a Delorean till this day because it was in a movie 40 years ago?
StrangeSmellz@reddit
Marketing to kids has always been a thing for when they get money.
NotRote@reddit
I wanted an evo since I was a kid, turns out every evo 9 is either beaten to death or extremely expensive, so now I have an STi.
cat_prophecy@reddit
They were the ultimate "cheap ass car made fast". They gave it a great engine and AWD and that was about it.
imagen_leap@reddit
I also desperately wanted an Evo or an STI. I bought the subi, as prices were more reasonable, and Subaru has better overall build quality. Met an Evo 10 owner who told me some upgrades were immediately necessary, like the master cylinders were plastic. Blew my mind.
StrangeSmellz@reddit
But you went looking. There was someone just like you that took out a fat loan and bought a new one.
ZannX@reddit
Every fb post about a new car purchase - "Ever since I was a kid..."
A_Fartist@reddit
And Porsche also knows this. Compared to other manufacturers they barely change their looks. How many car brands have barely swayed from their 1930’s design language? You can still get the car you wanted 40 years ago but it’s faster now. You can’t get a modern F40 that looks like the old one, same for the countach and many others. You can get a modern 911 or even cayman that looks way closer to a 959 than any of their competitors do to their halo cars of that era.
jazzmaster1992@reddit
And it fucking works. To this day, the sight of a gen 5 Camaro makes me think of Bumblebee.
Onionsteak@reddit
My fondest memory of playing resident evil requiem is watching Leon drive the Cayenne Turbo
Phosphorus444@reddit
Its how cigarettes/vape pods started. Get the kids hooked and you've got a lifelong customer.
SojusCalling@reddit
Anyone remember Need For Speed: Porsche?
ThrindellOblinity@reddit
Or Porsche Challenge on the PS1, 29 years ago…
Hublotsquid@reddit
The only racing game ive ever player with the Porsche test track
mrreiner@reddit
That black porsche was a bitch
burnaston@reddit
Tiptronic!
SojusCalling@reddit
Good call! I vaguely remember this from friends now. In my family we never had consoles though, only computers.
techtimee@reddit (OP)
Okay, maybe I'm too young to realize this is nothing new for them then lol.
SojusCalling@reddit
Did you just call us old???
techtimee@reddit (OP)
Ancient even
SojusCalling@reddit
These dann younglings...
degggendorf@reddit
We need Anakin
Ahab_Ali@reddit
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Such a great educational tool. How else would I get up to speed on every major Porsche variant since the beginning.
unsaltedbutter@reddit
Wasn't it called that because previously the NFS series had not included Porsches? Then they got the exclusive license.
Ithrazel@reddit
Nah we had some porsches in nfs 4: High Stakes
degggendorf@reddit
I'm pretty sure I remember having a GT3 in Underground too
cat_prophecy@reddit
It was just all about Porsches.
admiraltarkin@reddit
I was so confused when I booted up the game and a guy with a lightsaber loaded up
cat_prophecy@reddit
I was trying to figure out what you were trying to say. But I realized that joke only works if you pronounce Porsche wrong.
bungblaster69@reddit
I remember that game. I found a glitched spot that let you drive above the map
coffeeshopslut@reddit
Where I learned about lift throttle oversteer...
The_Crazy_Swede@reddit
Mine was named Need for Speed Porsche 2000. It was the game I played the most on my PS1 and it was the only real game I had (the rest were burnt copies of friends games, 10 copied games)
enhancedgibbon@reddit
I ran through that entire game on PC using a modified 944 turbo. I remember how badly it got smashed up and how that really killed my desire to own a porsche in real life... Naarrrt
Skodakenner@reddit
I loved it so much was probably my first game i ever played on pc
nathanforyouseason5@reddit
Actually EA had exclusive rights to Porsche from 2000-2016. Everyone else used tuners like RUF that uses a Porsche body kit car as their "Porsche".
5GCovidInjection@reddit
I wonder what percentage of that game’s player base eventually bought a real Porsche later in their lives. Probably a significant number.
Ithrazel@reddit
Best nfs game in my book
TryharderJB@reddit
I’ll see your Need for Speed: Porsche and raise you a The Duel: Test Drive II.
37 years ago that put the 959 against the Ferrari F40.
starburstases@reddit
Oh man that game helped me get into building computers. For a long, long time I knew I'd buy a Porsche 911 someday. Now though, prices have gotten so insane it has sapped all of the enthusiasm from me.
coffeeshopslut@reddit
I loved those maps. The road rally courses, the industrial part of town, and the monte carlo variants
__adlerholmes@reddit
I was obsessed with this game in elementary school.
3MATX@reddit
I remember the missions. One you had to deliver a new boxster quick with zero damage.
0xDEADFA@reddit
Yeah that was factory driver mode
albiorix_@reddit
That’s what got me.
TheOliveYeti@reddit
In RE Requiem you dont actually drive the car. It's only seen in cutscenes.
CuriousTravlr@reddit
Porsche used to never be in video games, that's why Gran Turismo had RUF and not Porsche. The addition to RUF catapulted RUF to the top of the OEM modifier space and gave them an insane amount of traction in the industry and increased profits.
Corporations don't like missing out on profits and the steadfastness of the video game industry has been proven over the last 30 years to be a good thing to put money into.
Gunslingermomo@reddit
Not true, as the other commenter pointed out Porsche was in Need for Speed 26 years ago. There were licensing exclusivity issues. Same with Ferrari, they had their own high end sim.
CuriousTravlr@reddit
Yeah this makes sense too, I kinda forgot about the OG NFS's having Porsche.
jazzmaster1992@reddit
I remember it being such a big deal for Microsoft when they got the GT2 RS in Forza Motorsport, not only was it a cover car but they brought in a real one to show off at E3, as if to say "fucking finally".
TS040@reddit
yeah, that’s the thing - it was EA who held complete exclusivity over Porsche for almost 30 years. they’d show up in other games from time to time but it’d almost always be through paid DLC. 2016 is when that exclusivity deal came to an end and Porsche began showing up in basically every racing game from there (which unfortunately has led to RUF being left behind in all those games excluding like, Gran Turismo)
WowSuchMiata@reddit
Longer than that. First NFS came out in 1995 and it had a 993.
I’m pretty sure every NFS game has a Porsche of some sort, aside from NFS 2.
Quitetheoddone@reddit
Practically every single NFS game has, as EA was the exclusive rights partner. Look at covers of NFS games and you’ll see lots of Porsche’s!
large-farva@reddit
What a shortsighted airball by porsche back then.
HankSteakfist@reddit
I remember how much of a big deal it was when Forza Motorsport in 2005 had both Ferrari and Porsche and featured damage.
Gran Turismo at the time didn't have any of the big 3 (Porsche / Lambo / Ferrari)
Quizzie@reddit
The Porsche expansion for FM4 was so major. Went from no Porsches to like 30 Porsches including the 997 Sport Classic, 997 GT3 RS 4.0, Cayman R, CGT, Panamera Turbo, Cayenne Turbo...it felt like we got their whole current lineup plus some race cars and some older sports cars.
PabloIceCreamBar@reddit
Pepperidge Farm remembers!
MurphysRazor@reddit
What is forgotten is that Faygo remembered first... https://youtu.be/BcD_8IsIOEA
icemerc@reddit
Electronic Arts (EA) held an exclusive 17-year licensing deal with Porsche from 2000 to 2016
RUF and some of the other companies got in to Forza/Grand Turismo due to the way the contract was written.
ConsiderablyInjured@reddit
The Porsche brand was exclusive to EA for the longest time which is why they didn't show up in other franchises
SerialExperimentLean@reddit
They had an exclusive licence with EA so other games couldn't use them
happy--muffin@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/granturismo/comments/hgnu60/anyone_remember_when_ea_had_the_license_to/
Good ole RUF
the-script-99@reddit
Ads that they get paid for. Is there anything better?
SapphireSire@reddit
If they can't sell their cars, they will at least hope people like looking at them.
eirexe@reddit
Some brands are more strict than others, hell even the same brand can change minds seemingly at random within the same month, ask me how I know (I work on a big racing game during the day).
RubenLay223@reddit
Back in my day Porsche was never in Forza games and we had to drive RUFs instead.
Admirable_Jacket8393@reddit
I really do hate that I had to buy RUF aka Porsche on previous titles...so hilariously petty.
india2wallst@reddit
They did a overwatch collab for the Macan ev. Bruh eSports gamers are the wrong audience lol
xdr01@reddit
/looks at price on old JDM shitboxes featured in Grand Turismo on PS1
I dunno
Shxcking@reddit
Porsche is struggling so they’re trying to reach more people.
And there are a lot more rich kids on Riot games than you’d think
box-fort2@reddit
Games went from needing to use RUF as a stand in to now even non-racing games having Porsches
Scazitar@reddit
With German cars really breaking through to becoming the mainstream aspirational cars for young people in the US, i really feel like Porchse has been marketing hard to make sure they are a big part of that equation.
Could be a strech but it feels they have been making a bit of a push lately.
ThePretzul@reddit
Toyota hates their products placed in Video Games because of the reasons you stated above.
Other companies that care more about measurable marketing campaign performance metrics and their effect on the bottom line do not share such overly-conservative concerns.
118238@reddit
There are a couple 911 Turbos as playable Rocket League cars and associated accessories.
browsk@reddit
All I remember of Porsche being in video games was that they did NOT want any part of Assetto Corsa lol, only the RUF cars
SharpMZ@reddit
What do you mean? There is like 3 Porsche DLC packs for Assetto Corsa
lextremelynooby@reddit
Maybe they meant they didn't want to anything to do with Assetto Corsa, at the time. There was a long period where Porsche was exclusive with EA games that didn't end until 2016, which is when the Porsche Packs came out.
jknuts1377@reddit
It's funny because Forza and Gran Turismo used to never have Porsche, and they're two of the biggest racing franchises.
5GCovidInjection@reddit
Porsche needed the video game advertising back in the 90s because they were dead broke.
Nowadays, developers need Porsche’s brand name to get people to buy their games.
tetsmon@reddit
Don't forget the Overwatch collab! who would be silly enough to buy that one? (me, I did)
pvera@reddit
From 1999 to 2016 Porsche had an exclusive licensing deal with EA. If you wanted to drive a Porsche in a videogame, and you wanted it to show the brand and look the part 100%, it was an EA game. Otherwise your studio sub licensed from EA, expensive as hell, or use Ruf models.
NFS Porsche Unleashed was incredible. I actually had more fun with the 356 B Carrera 2 because even pedal to the metal you could actually enjoy the road, the 996 Turbo was too much for me.
Later in one of the earlier Forza titles there was a race mode where everyone drives the exact same car. THAT race with the 914 was a hoot. Same deal, even at full speed it was very drivable, not that it mattered since all of the cars ran so close.
MumpsyDaisy@reddit
Tbh video games seem like the best way to market cars because you can make players feel like they've experienced them and form attachments to them. Like when you play a racing game and find an in-game car you particularly like for whatever reason you can't tell me it doesn't make a lot of us look into the possibility of getting one IRL at least a little bit.
minimalkva@reddit
They also had a collaboration with Overwatch - D.Va and Pharah have Porsche skins. They're sick.
tpeeeezy@reddit
gamers aren't really a special group anymore and haven't been for like 20 years now. 90% of people under the age of like 60 play video games. and seeing irl stuff in video games and vice versa just hits different compared to other forms of media
krombopulousnathan@reddit
Yea look I am a gamer and while I’m not really wealthy I am in a place where I can own several vehicles, including multiple toys. Saying gamers are broke is some real boomer and doomer mentality
PanadaTM@reddit
If anything gamers usually have more money. Nothing saves money like staying inside and spending thousands of hours on a $60 game
lubeandrotate@reddit
Mechanic simulator 2021 has a Porsche DLC, among others. It was the only dlc I had/wanted for a while.
guy_incognito784@reddit
You forgot the collab between Porsche and the upcoming Naughty Dog game Intergalactic.
GaRGa77@reddit
Need for speed porsche
Sampaikun@reddit
Market to kids early that your car brand is THE luxury car brand and when they grow up, hopefully well off, they'll buy a porsche over anything else.
Source: Me. Huge nerd. Love video games. Drives a 718. Happy to see Porsche do more collabs.
PowerSpool@reddit
I became a Porsche fan because they were usually among the coolest licensed vehicles in any game I played lol
TheFinalFunction@reddit
Can't believe you didn't mention Cyberpunk 2077 and the silver 911
Jdoc27@reddit
There’s also the next Naughty Dog game (Intergalactic) which has a “Porsche 984 Tempest NDX” space ship in the trailer
ChefSaysBork@reddit
It's interesting because Forza 3 for Xbox 360 did not include ANY Porsches in the base game, with Porsche DLC coming much later. That is, if my memory recalls correctly, I haven't booted it up in forever.
RiftHunter4@reddit
When it comes to luxury brands, people don't know their products unless they get shown somewhere. And even then, they'll only remember a little bit. Collaborations help get specific products into people's minds so they aren't just buying "A Porsche", they're buying a 911 Carrera or a Cayenne GTS; something you can actually ask for.
LuxuryCarConnoisseur@reddit
It’s ironic because I remember when Forza 4 having a Porsche DLC was a huge deal. Now, that’s also because EA had an exclusivity deal with them for the longest time, so everyone else got hosed and had to use RuF instead.
Video Games make money. Car makers hope to get a piece of that pie in ways that aren’t just racing games. Hence, the collabs. I remember when the first Jurassic World came out and Mercedes was being pushed hard in that film (and it went beyond the point of just being an in-joke that was referencing the MLs used in Lost World, it was practically an advert). If a brand wants to get money from a (hopefully) guaranteed hit, they’ll spend money to make money.
dustincb2@reddit
Hell there were Mercedes cars in Mario Kart 8
TrainingGrape540@reddit
There’s a Toy Story and Porsche collab I hope there’s some toy cars…
k_dubious@reddit
In my area at least, the tech bros fucking love Porsches.
Quick_Coyote_7649@reddit
It boils down to keeping the brand in people’s mind. When it comes to marketing there’s not a ton yoh xan do to heavily encourage someone to make a sale, all you can do really is keep your product in people’s minds and not give people a reason to not buy from yoy ànd not covertly shoving your brand in people’s face would be giving people a reason to not buy your product.
xlb250@reddit
Porsche is a status symbol.
Many people buy them because they wanted one since they were a kid or to reward themselves that they’ve finally made it. Video game collaborations feed into this. You get them when they’re young.
JALbert@reddit
30 years later they've figured out that it's better marketing to younger and future buyers than it's hurting any brand cachet with the old and wealthy.
MarshallHurtado@reddit
Money
3rdreprieve@reddit
Throughout all of my childhood and most of high school, Porsche was EA-only to my knowledge. Their opening-up to other publishers/developers seems to me like it’s a recent thing. I remember when the 991.1 GT3 RS appeared in GT Sport; people went a little crazy over that.
Interestingly, the 996 GT3 was supposed to appear in Gran Turismo 3: A Spec, but was replaced by the RUF RGT instead at the 11th hour.
strongmanass@reddit
I don't game so take this with a huge grain of salt, but it seems to be. On a recent Carmudgeon podcast episode, Jason Cammisa said that video games are how young people are getting interested in cars. They've essentially replaced the bedroom wall poster from a magazine spread.
While we're talking about Porsche, they made their clothing line really high fashion for a bit.