When Will Ronald McDonald Return To Video Games?

By Daniel Sumpton | Misfit Media Columnist

McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure for the Sega Genesis is widely considered to be one of the better licensed games during the 16-bit console era. At least, that’s what Wikipedia tells me. The game was made over 5 years before I was born, and I have only ever watched YouTube playthroughs of the title. It certainly looks fun and inventive, but it also makes me wonder why the highly renowned clown had such a short run in the world of gaming. If absurd characters like a blue hedgehog, a purple dragon, a bandicoot in shorts, and a fat plumber can continue being superpowers of the gaming industry, why not Ronald? 

The fact that a whole world was developed around the clown (McDonaldland), and it wasn’t implemented into a long-lasting gaming franchise is a genuine head scratcher. It would have also decelerated the fear surrounding clowns that creators like Steven King have stirred up in the current era. It would only take an A-list publisher like Nintendo, Ubisoft, Sega, EA, or even McDonald’s itself to make the character more chibi looking, and release great, graphically cartoonish yet crisp platformers that are 8 to 15 hours long. Then, all that’s needed is for McDonalds to rake in the money that will be lying around everywhere from the endeavour.

Admittedly, the chances of my boy Ronald becoming a worldwide videogame sensation once again is incredibly slim. So, what’s the second-best thing? That’s an easy, tried and tested answer with sure-fire success. In late 2019, the popular Sega Genesis game The Lion King and Disney’s Aladdin were packaged together and sold on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. If McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure was re-released on the Nintendo Switch, or any other modern system, people would definitely buy it for its novelty. It’s another exciting idea, but most likely one that will never be materialised.

So, there is an answer to whether or not the clown will return to video games, and that answer is most likely no. It seems like Ronald is being phased out from McDonald’s branding due to stigmas around clowns. Most people see him as branding of the past to a company that is becoming known for its minimalistic buildings that lack colour or cartoons. One can always live in hope that a bizarre McDonald’s themed platformer will come out of the blue though.