In another odd pairing of collaborations, Japanese beverage company Suntory is pairing up with Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise to promote its Suntory Strong sparkling water. In addition to a music video featuring vocals by Hyadain aka Kenichi Maeyamada, fans can also play a new AR game on their smartphones titled Strong Fighter. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The marketing campaign specifically incorporates elements from Street Fighter II. The franchise as a whole is also currently celebrating its 35th anniversary. Suntory The Strong, on the other hand, is Suntory’s line of “extra carbonated” sparkling water. As part of the campaign, its official website has released a banner referencing the brochure for the original Street Fighter II. However, the banner instead features all of the playable characters holding or drinking the beverage.
During the campaign period, fans will be able to play an AR game titled Strong Fighter for free using their smartphone devices. In it, players can choose to play as Ryu or Chun Li and must break the bottle out of a block of ice. Furthermore, the game includes the original sprites as well as each character’s signature moves, complete with the required button inputs. Users can access this game via the QR code listed on the website.
Notably, Suntory decided to enlist musician Hyadain for the campaign’s music video. A reference to Street Fighter II‘s title, the song The World Warrior was also a viral internet music video Hyadain himself created back in 2008. The song, now updated for the Suntory Strong campaign, remixes sound effects from Street Fighter. The music is accompanied by footage of various fighters facing off against a large bottle of Suntory The Strong, as well as each other.
You can check out the music video below:
https://youtu.be/ioX8gC8UIwI
The Strong Fighter AR game is available to play on iOS and Android devices for free in Japan.
