McDonald's Philippines 3D-prints a Switch 2 fries holder — GamiFries hijacks the launch

Snacking and gaming go together, and McDonald's Philippines had already worked the gaming world through mobile-tournament sponsorships and its 'Unbranded Menu' campaign. When Nintendo's Switch 2 — 2025's biggest console release — launched with magnetic Joy-Con 2 connectors, the brand had no official deal with Nintendo but saw an opening: give the community something they would want to print and show off.

Hijack the Switch 2 launch with a free 3D-printable holder that mounts fries between the Joy-Cons — gamers print and post it, and the brand rides the news cycle.

With Leo Manila and BBH Singapore, McDonald's made GamiFries: a red, McDonald's-style fries-holder accessory in three parts that snaps onto the Switch 2's magnetic connectors, usable in handheld and controller modes. The free open-source 3D-print file was posted on MakerWorld under a creator handle alongside a hype film, and McDonald's Philippines joined in with free-fries coupons. The 'fan mod' was then picked up by Kotaku, PCMag, TheGamer, Dexerto and other gaming outlets.

The stunt rode the Switch 2 launch news cycle as global gaming and tech media covered the accessory as a clever fan creation, turning an idea with no paid media into international earned coverage. It took a Silver at NYF Advertising for PR community building, earned points at the One Show, a Gerety Awards shortlist, and multiple shortlists at Spikes Asia 2026.

When Nintendo's Switch 2 launched in June 2025, gaming was one of the loudest conversations in culture — and McDonald's Philippines, which had already played in that world through mobile-tournament sponsorship and its 'Unbranded Menu' campaign, had no official seat at the table.

So it made its own seat. With Leo Manila and BBH Singapore, the brand created GamiFries, an unofficial 3D-printable accessory: a red McDonald's-style holder that mounts a medium fries box between the Joy-Con 2s using the console's magnetic connectors, in handheld or controller mode. The open-source file was posted free on MakerWorld, introduced by a hype film as 'the world's first fries holder for your Switch 2.'

Presented as a fan mod rather than an ad, the idea was perfect community bait: Kotaku, PCMag, TheGamer, Dexerto and other gaming outlets covered it as a clever fan creation, and anyone with a 3D printer could join in. McDonald's Philippines sweetened the story with free-fries coupons.

The earned coverage carried it to recognition: a Silver at NYF Advertising for community-building PR, points at the One Show, a Gerety Awards shortlist, and multiple shortlists at Spikes Asia 2026.

It spent nothing on media and bought the news cycle: the artifact itself was the press release.

Making the file free and printable turned every owner into a participant and an ambassador.

Framing it as a fan mod avoided sponsorship costs while earning the community's goodwill.

It connected a food brand to the exact moment gaming culture was celebrating — the Switch 2 launch.

When you cannot buy a platform's spotlight, give its community something to make: an open, free, genuinely useful artifact spreads further than any paid placement because fans become the campaign.

The GamiFries file remained free on MakerWorld as an open model, and the campaign's run of awards and global coverage made it a reference case for community-led product stunts, sitting alongside McDonald's Philippines' earlier gaming work such as Unbranded Menu.