Pizza buyers beware: The Noid has returned. Yes, the pie-swiping villain from the famous ’80s ad campaign has come back for a series of new advertisements from Domino’s Pizza, but that’s not the only place you’ll find him. For a limited time, The Noid will serve as a mini-boss in the mobile runner Crash Bandicoot: On The Run.
While this might seem like a bizarre example of brand synergy, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the Noid ads and the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Crash Bandicoot, so we suppose it makes some sense. (Maybe?) Well, regardless, fans of The Noid can pick up limited-edition Noid-themed merch on Amazon. All proceeds from the sales will go to Domino’s independent nonprofit Domino’s Partners Foundation, which provides financial assistance to employees of the company experiencing hardship such as the loss of a loved one.
As Noid fans well know, this isn’t the first time that the pizza villain has appeared in a game. Capcom’s Yo! Noid is a fairly well-known NES platformer that features the character, who was added to the English localization by translators. He also appeared in the lesser-known Commodore 64 game Avoid the Noid. As for Crash Bandicoot: On The Run, it’s a celebration of the iconic platformer that includes many of the franchise’s best-known levels and characters. Like most of developer King’s games, it’s free to play, but includes microtransactions.
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