Panda Express saw a lift in brand awareness, consideration and recommendation after activating on Roblox and Fortnite last year, according to information shared with Marketing Dive ahead of a broader release. As a result, the quick service restaurant is now establishing gaming as an ongoing, standing platform which reaches more than 220 million monthly players, many of which are in the 18-to-34-year-old demographic.
Panda Express established a presence in popular online sandbox games Fortnite and Roblox during the back half of 2025. Created with its agency of record, The Many, and Super League, the activations focused on cultural moments such as Lunar New Year. Players were able to virtually sample menu items such as The Original Orange Chicken and Honey Walnut Shrimp.
In-game exposure to the brand led to a 3 percentage point increase in brand awareness, per an independent study conducted by playable media company Super League and Nielsen. Interactive game mechanics helped increase consideration rates from 64% to 67% and recommendation from 61% to 64%. Campaign participation produced a 5 percentage point growth in purchase intent over a 30-day window.
“Gaming is a core pillar of our marketing strategy, following the great success of our Roblox and Fortnite integrations,” said Crystal Chou, group media director at The Many in an email. “We've proven that gaming can move the needle on some of our key metrics. We are continuing to look for ways to expand our efforts within this space to drive stronger relevance with our audience through one of their greatest passion points.”
The 2025 campaign, “Leveling Up,” which was centered around the return of Hot Orange Chicken, featured in-game billboard teasers and PeiPei, the brand’s mascot. The campaign saw a 16% engagement rate on Roblox and 537,000 engagements on Fortnite.
On Fortnite, the transition to a standing platform includes three map integrations, one of which already launched and another two which are planned for October and December, per information shared with Marketing Dive. These maps are timed to limited-time menu items and persistent in-game billboards that will serve as a bridge between activations, ensuring the brand maintains a presence in the game. On Roblox, the brand relaunched The Panda Express Obby, an obstacle-style game, as a permanent virtual destination, with themed updates planned around Halloween, fall and winter. Monthly updates, including NPCs, menu tie-ins and seasonal courses are also planned.
“Repeat investment only happens when the results are there. The brand lift data, combined with authentic player enthusiasm, made it clear this was a program worth re-activating,” said Rhiannon Apple, executive vice president, client strategy at Super League in press materials.
There are 3.6 billion gamers globally. However, the channel only receives a fraction of advertising budgets. The highly engaging nature of gaming, combined with its popularity among Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers, has made it an area of interest for advertisers. Panda Express’s transition to an “always on” strategy reflects how marketers can integrate gaming into part of the broader media mix.
Like with any new channel, Panda Express was initially hesitant to embrace the platform, said Chou.
“We were able to ease our way into gaming intentionally, which made all the difference, and were able to slowly establish confidence in the channel," said Chou. “Now gaming is a no-brainer, and something that they expect to see on the plan.”
