Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

McDonald’s World Cup Promo Uses Augmented Reality to Turn French Fry Boxes Into Soccer Fields

The game taps the latest version of Qualcomm’s Vuforia technology.

Qualcomm

With World Cup fever starting to take off, McDonald’s is trying to find new ways to make its sponsorship of the global soccer tournament pay off.

Among its marketing tie-ins is an augmented reality app, McDonalds Gol!, that turns the packaging of its french fries into a virtual soccer field. In the game, players try to flick a ball into the french-fry-box-turned-goal, bouncing the ball off various real world objects to avoid increasingly difficult obstacles.

The McDonald’s effort uses the latest version of Qualcomm’s Vuforia technology, which is designed to simulate various terrains and incorporate physical objects. The app, which works with both iOS and Android devices, also includes instant replay and the ability to share photos.

Augmented reality is one of those things that is perennially around the corner, but Qualcomm VP Jay Wright says it is starting to catch on, particularly with marketers looking to give more life to physical goods.

“This happens to be one of the biggest global brands on the planet,” said Wright, who heads the chip maker’s augmented reality efforts.

In all, Wright said, there are more than 9,000 commercial apps in the Google and Apple stores that take advantage of Vuforia. While some features of Vuforia require developers to pay, Wright said the McDonald’s implementation is not a paid one.

“This one is all about driving additional adoption for Vuforia,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh