Releasing a game? You better have the shoes for it!

Video games are no longer something just for nerds. They represent the largest entertainment industry in the world and have long surpassed Hollywood and film. Because of that we’re seeing them expand into new collaborations, exploring subcultures and launching products that align with their releases in markets like footwear and apparel.

Sitting smack-bang in the middle of the most busy release period of the year for gaming, we have both new consoles and new titles hitting every week throughout November.

Of those releases, some of the biggest include Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, the PlayStation exclusive Spider-Man: Miles Morales, CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 and Bungie’s Destiny 2 expansion, Beyond Light.

From three different companies, available on a mix of systems and they appear to have nothing in common, but all three have partnered with footwear manufacturers in a brand expansion exercise that goes beyond the stereotypical hoodies & t-shirts “gamers” are associated with.

Adidas – Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Available at 11:30pm AEDT on November 18th, the Adidas kicks are modelled after the latest Spider-Man’s in-game shoes.

They’re available in adult and child sizes and will set you back A$140 dollary-doos.

You can order them from Adidas directly here.

Adidas – Cyberpunk 2077

Adidas certainly aren’t shy at giving this whole collaboration thing a red hot crack. They’ve also partnered up with CD Projekt Red and their long anticipated, long delayed, title Cyberpunk 2077.

There are two different shoes coming out. The pictured X90004D Cyberpunk and four colour variations of another model, X9000L4 Cyberpunk. They were made available to only a few markets and appear to have sold out already.

They’re weren’t cheap either ranging from A$260 – A$400, now going for a lot more on eBay.

Palladium – Destiny 2: Beyond Light

I’ve gotta admit, I’d never heard of the brand “Palladium” before and the fact they produce a lot of extreme weather gear probably has something to do with that.

The Destiny adorned high-tops and boots are already sold out in the US and the company doesn’t have an Aussie store, but they do service Asia-Pacific with outlets in Hong Kong and the Philippines so I’m sure people could grab them if you were super keen.

For more details check out the Palladium/Destiny collab page here.

Reebok – Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Probably the most “off-the-wall” example of a cross-medium promotion is that of Assassin’s Creed with Reebok. The only ones to go the traditional route with hoodies and caps they’ve also released three shoes with the branding “Like a viking” brazed across them.

Not really aligning with the in-game character or milieu at all they’re really just some lime green, grey and black colours with a weird sort of neon element to the advertising. It’s totally Ubi.

The shoes range from A$130 – A$180 with the hoodies a lofty A$100. You can see the full range on Reebok’s website here.