The archive · PR & Stunts · Marketing decision · 2025
McDonald's Philippines 3D-prints a Switch 2 fries holder — GamiFries hijacks the launch
McDonald's Philippines released GamiFries, a free 3D-printable accessory that mounts a fries box on the Switch 2 — the fan-mod stunt earned global gaming press.
McDonald's Philippines · Leo Manila · BBH Singapore
What it had to solve
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.
How it works
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.
Why it lands
- 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.
What it did
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.
What you can take
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.
Since then
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.
Sources
- This Switch 2 Accessory Can Hold Your McDonald's Fries As You Game
- GamiFries — NYF Advertising Awards winner details
- GamiFries — Gerety Awards 2026 entry
- Campaigns leading the first Spikes Asia 2026 shortlists
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