Hyundai Motor’s retro arcade game “Insterroid Retro Arcade” (Image courtesy of Hyndai Motor)
SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Global automakers, led by Hyundai Motor, are deepening their push into gaming as they look to strengthen engagement with younger consumers and broaden their digital reach.
Hyundai said on Sunday that its collaboration with the mobile racing game “Asphalt 9: Legends” won the Gold Award in the “Digital Experience: Automotive” category at The Drum Awards, a U.K.-based global advertising competition.
The game, which boasts more than 100 million downloads and over 9 million monthly active players worldwide, featured Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N and N Vision 74 models as part of the campaign.
The partnership produced striking results. A global in-game tournament drew 1.88 million participants, while cumulative impressions reached 137 million during the campaign period.
Total playtime exceeded 15.38 million minutes. According to The Drum, Hyundai’s brand favorability rose 7 percentage points, and 47 percent of campaign participants expressed an intention to purchase.
The initiative highlights how automakers are leveraging gaming to boost brand awareness and create more immersive customer experiences.
Hyundai has expanded its gaming footprint on multiple fronts. In August, the company hosted a solo booth at Gamescom 2025, the world’s largest gaming expo, unveiling its own retro-style arcade title, “Insterroid Retro Arcade.”
It also introduced new car models — including the Ioniq 9, Ioniq 6, and Insterroid — as drivable karts in “KartRider Rush+,” a popular Korean mobile racing game.
Other global players are moving in the same direction. Toyota has operated the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup, an online e-sports racing tournament using “Gran Turismo 7,” for six consecutive years, allowing players around the world to compete with its GR-series vehicles.
BMW, an official partner of “Gran Turismo 7,” added cars such as the BMW M6 GT3 to this year’s Gran Turismo World Series and fielded BMW drivers in the e-sports competition.
Kia, meanwhile, has maintained its sponsorship of the e-sports organization Dplus KIA since 2021. The team runs six squads competing across major titles including League of Legends, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, and FC Online.
Industry officials say the trend reflects a natural alignment between automakers and e-sports audiences. “Younger generations who watch e-sports favor new technologies and emerging trends, and are highly interested in sustainability,” one automotive executive said. “Automakers share these priorities, which is why the results have been so strong.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
