Many would agree that the marketing for Spider-Man: No Way Home has been a rollercoaster ride in the past months.
The Tom Holland-led threequel has become the main subject of discussion among fans ever since it became known that the multiverse would be part of the narrative. It all started with the reported involvement of Jamie Foxx as the returning Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man franchise and the inclusion of Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy.
This was further amplified by the comeback of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, cementing the fact that No Way Home will be a multiversal affair. Since then, the rumors allowed No Way Home to be the talk of the town for Marvel fans, making it an instant trending topic on social media.
The free marketing drive for No Way Home progressed even further when the film's first trailer arrived, ultimately breaking a record number of views that pushed it ahead of 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Since then, marketing for the film has ramped up, with a slew of official merchandise and interviews being released on a consistent basis.
Now, another marketing gimmick for No Way Home has arrived.
A New Spider-Man: No Way Home Game Unveiled
As part of Spider-Man: No Way Home's promotional drive, Twitter users @spideysnews and @denkarasik unearthed a brand-new augmented reality game for the threequel.
The aforementioned game, currently available to those in Russia, can be found in packages of Skittles with a new promo image for No Way Home in Russian stores.
In order to activate the game, fans need to scan the code on the Skittles package so that they can access a site where they can be greeted by one of the Spider-Man images in higher quality:
The game features Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the hero's red and gold suit, and it allows players to catch sweets as the web-slinger:
A video of the actual gameplay can be seen in the Tweet below:
Within the game, a special message alluding to the identity plot of No Way Home is also featured in Russian. The translation reads as:
"ATTENTION!
URGENT A MESSAGE FOR THE AUDIENCE!
The identity of Spider-Man has been established. If it is detected, please contact the cinema staff!"
Another preview of the game includes a snippet of the Marvel hero asking for help about his identity crisis. The translation reads as:
"I need your help! My identity has been discovered! But I have a plan. Can you fill in for me? Let's see how you can cope with my superpowers!"
To find out more, here is a link to the promotion page of the Skittles/No Way Home promo.
Marketing for No Way Home Ramps Up
The anticipation surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home is sky-high, and this latest augmented reality game from Skittles should bolster the hype even further.
The game's basic goal of catching sweets as Spider-Man should be easy for a younger audience to try and achieve, but grown-ups, especially passionate fans of the franchise, could use it as a point of reference when dissecting plot details of the upcoming MCU threequel.
It is unknown why the Skittles AR game used the web-slinger's red and gold suit, but it's possible that Sony decided to showcase it to promote Tom Holland's new costume in the film.
The urgent message in the game about alerting the audience about Spider-Man's identity is a reference to Spider-Man: Far From Home's ending where J. Jonah Jameson announced Peter Parker's secret to the rest of the world. In a way, this could hint that No Way Home will show how the authorities will respond to the announcement, and it spells bad news for Parker and the rest of his allies.
Meanwhile, the subtle reference about Parker having a plan to escape the identity shenanigans seemingly alludes to him reaching out to Doctor Strange.
At this point, it is unknown when the second trailer of No Way Home will be released to the public, but it's clear that Sony is keeping itself busy in terms of the marketing side of things for the threequel. It will be interesting to find out what other marketing gimmicks Sony will reveal in the months leading to the film's release.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to premiere in theaters on December 17, 2021.
