A game based on the urban sport of free-running will debut on the handheld PlayStation Portable device across Europe in March. Called 'Freerunning', it will be extended to the PlayStation console in June. By using the Hyperride shoes, the players' performance is enhanced.
An ad campaign for the game will run on screens in 500 European outlets of retailer Footlocker, which has exclusive rights to sell the shoe. The trailer will feature a mix of the real-life exponents of free-running and their computer-animated alter egos from the game.
The campaign will initially run across Europe, but Adidas is considering a wider, international promotion.
The deal between Adidas and Eidos was brokered by affinity marketing agency JAM International.
While Adidas has struck in-game placement deals before, this is the first time a product has affected a player's performance.
In 2002, McDonald's struck a multimillion-pound deal for its products to give characters in Electronic Arts' PC game 'The Sims' added nutritional points.
Other games being developed for the PSP, which will take on handheld devices such as the Nintendo DS and Nokia's N-Gage, include Electronic Arts' 'Need for Speed Underground Rivals', 'Fifa Football' and 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour'. The PSP launched in Japan last December to high demand.
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