McDonald’s China is taking this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival to the next level. The Golden Arches will be paired with one of China’s most celebrated gaming IPs: Black Myth: Wukong. Black Myth: Wukong allowed us to bridge this tradition with contemporary pop culture in China.
Leo China has led the creative; the concept was to blend traditional Chinese festival vibes with contemporary pop culture. The campaign, a mix of limited-edition food, collectable merch, and immersive in-store experiences, is running till October 21.
Yabin He, McDonald’s China chief growth officer, told Campaign that the brand has consistently sought to create cultural connections that resonate on an emotional level with local consumers. After several successful Chinese New Year campaigns, McDonald’s is now turning its attention to another cornerstone of Chinese culture: the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. Traditionally, a time of reunion and shared celebration, it offers the brand a chance to embed itself more deeply in cultural life.
"We saw the Moon Festival as a culturally rich and emotionally charged moment for our customers — a time of togetherness, tradition and shared memories," McDonald’s said in a statement shared with Campaign. "Partnering with Black Myth: Wukong allowed us to bridge this tradition with contemporary pop culture in China."
So, what's on the menu? Wukong-inspired black-bun moon burgers, golden crispy chicken, sesame lava pies, and osmanthus sparkling milk tea. The limited edition collection is designed to spark conversation and social sharing, following in the footsteps of McDonald’s Japan, where Pokémon collectables earlier this year were so popular they led to a resale and scalping frenzy. In China, McDonald’s aims the campaign will reinforce its position as a brand that celebrates Chinese culture in a modern, relevant way and offers a “festival platform” that goes beyond food.
McDonald’s says the collaboration is designed to reinforce its position as a brand that celebrates Chinese culture in a modern, relevant way, aiming to create a “wow” factor that sparks conversation and social sharing during one of the year’s biggest festive moments.
Hungry fans can also pick up merch ranging from T-shirts and tote bags to a double-sided velvet lounge robe with the Monkey King balancing a burger on his head. For extra fun, McDonald’s has launched a collectable board game featuring game characters and fast-food mascots, letting customers swap character cards for phone stickers.
From day one, the collaboration went viral online.
Leo, part of Publicis Groupe, created a short animated video, Connected by the Moon, which brought together Black Myth: Wukong characters with scenes of family reunion, presenting the limited-edition burgers in a festive, heartwarming light. The animation ran across Weibo, WeChat, and Bilibili. In addition, McDonald’s aired a TVC highlighting family reunion and festival storytelling, reinforcing the emotional core of the campaign.
Offline, the brand has transformed 42 restaurants across 14 cities in mainland China into 'Golden Arches × Black Myth Flagship Stores,' each themed around one of three iconic characters: Destiny Warrior, Pigsy (Zhu Bajie), and Erlang Shen. Meanwhile, the Golden Arches × Black Myth Moonlight Market has launched in seven cities and invites fans to directly step into the game, complete with festival décor, interactive installations, and limited-edition merchandise.
